Allergies in Olympia WA

It's that time and season again, the trees are blossoming, the bushes are filling up, the bees are buzzing, and the pollen count is rising. You've probably noticed that you're feeling a little extra pressure in the face and your nose is running faster than you can catch it. You might be thinking that you are coming down with the latest outbreak virus, but chances are, if your symptoms are still lingering, you might be suffering from an overactive immune system. Welcome to allergy season! Don't worry, we see a lot of patients that suffer from seasonal allergies in Olympia WA. Is there something we can do about it? Absolutely!

Relief Options For Allergies in Olympia WA

Allergies are usually a result from an inappropriate response from your immune system to a seemingly harmless irritant. Like pollen for instance, it doesn't typically harm you, but your body thinks it will and throws a big fit if it gets on you. Symptoms can be mild like a slight runny nose and mild sneezing. It can get a little more severe with clogged sinuses, headaches, and fatigue. This can be very difficult if you're trying to get work done and go about your day.

Let's look at the immune system a little closer. Your body is able to detect foreign object, either in the blood or in your mouth, or most commonly the lining of your nose. Signals are sent throughout your body triggering glands and organs to start kicking out chemicals and white blood cells to battle the foreign object. Your body then produces mucus to trap any outside invaders and to get rid of the captured objects. Your body does this almost constantly, but you don't realize it because the reaction is very "quiet." But sometimes your body overreacts and releases too many chemicals and produces too much mucus. This is when you start to feel the symptoms.

What can be done?

There are a few different things that help with allergies. When at home, using warm wet rag over your face will help loosen up clogged sinuses. Some people also find relief from breathing in cold air and other prefer breathing in steam form a hot shower. This helps to loosen up the mucus that has bene produced and helps you eliminate it into your favorite tissue. Using an ice pack or heat pack on your neck or forehead can help reduce headaches. Avoiding bright lights can help to prevent triggering a bunch of sneezes.

There are treatments that we use at our clinic as well. Using a special tool to shake the sinuses, can really help loosen things out helping them to drain. Getting your spine and other joints adjusted can help with headaches and aches and pains. Often times if you have bene sneezing a lot, you'll feel a lot of tension and soreness in your shoulders. This can be relieved by our trained massage therapist. Chiropractic care has also been shown to help strengthen the immune system by reliving stress and helping the body communicate properly, which helps to train the immune system to act appropriately to foreign objects like pollen.