Hay fever nutritional approach
Hay fever is a disorder in which the balance of the body is affected – caused largely by adrenal exhaustion and a hypersensitized immune system. These vital systems should, therefore, be supported by working from every angle possible to help the body back into balance. When bodily systems are strengthened and once again networking properly, the errors will begin to correct themselves. A vital area of support is improved nutrition, for among its many benefits, it is of enormous help to the body at the important cellular level.
Cell health
The human body is capable of complete rejuvenation, regeneration and repair. In other words, it can heal itself, given the right conditions, mentally and physically. Good nutrition is the most vital factor towards good physical health, for it allows our cells – the smallest but most important components in our bodies – to be nourished continually and washed clean of waste. Our cells do not function at optimum levels if they are seldom fed and cleansed. In fact, poor nutrition diminishes cell function, causes gradual toxic build-up within the cells, triggers disease and exacerbates the ageing process.
Although we have much to eat in Western societies, our food has frighteningly little nutritional value, having been grown in overused soils that are loaded with harmful chemicals and lacking in essential minerals. Needing a boost of energy and a feeling of sustenance, we turn to stimulants such as coffee, sugar, junk food and alcohol. However, these are actually toxic substances, which make the liver hyperactive in its attempt to filter out the toxins, and which weaken the adrenal glands. This, in turn, speeds up the metabolism, which demands a short yet intense energy capacity that is stolen from the cells and the immune system. As a result, the body feels fatigued – and the longer the cycle of harmful diet continues, the more fatigued the body becomes, at the cellular level.
This situation – called acidosis – is reflected in the individual’s mental, physical and emotional make-up. It creates a seriously ineffective immune system and a body that is struggling to run on empty. The acidosis causes imbalances within the organs, the digestive tract and the cells, allowing parasites, unfriendly bacteria, fungi and viruses to take over and normally innocuous substances to be seen as allergenic.
Our cells are being replaced constantly on a rotational basis. With the correct help each unhealthy old cell can be replaced by a healthy new one, leading to better health in totality. However, this takes time. Imagine a neglected houseplant which you then start feeding and watering appropriately. The leaves perk up a bit from the improved nutrition, but you have to wait for the old leaves to die off and the new ones to grow before you are left with a truly healthy plant. It is the same with the human body. When you start feeding and treating it better, you have to wait for the physiological dynamics of the body to produce new improved cells in every area.
How it used to be
There has been little change to our bodies, in a genetic or physiological sense, since the days of the ancient hunter-gatherer. Our basic foodstuffs are very similar too. What has changed, and dramatically, is our lifestyle, behaviour and diet – the latter having altered a great deal in just the last 50-60 years. Nature takes a long time to make changes, whereas humans can make radical shifts within a generation or two. This is much too fast to expect our bodies to adjust.
Our diet today consists largely of processed foods – that is, food grown on land laden with chemicals, which has been altered in some way by human hand, and which also contains chemical preservatives, flavourings and colourings. We generally consume our foods in a rushed and stressful environment too – eating, reading or working at the same time; whereas in ancient times people would usually just concentrate on eating. Their foods were not sprayed with chemicals or injected with preservatives, they were eaten fresh and in season – and fresh, un-contaminated fruit and vegetables are highly nutritious. They are also rich in enzymes, the substances that aid digestion. For the most part, our forebears’ food was uncooked. Both cooking (above 41°C/107°F) and refrigeration destroy live digestive enzymes, which help break down the food in our bodies.
Because our ancestors consumed freshly gathered, uncontaminated ‘whole’ foods, their digestive systems would have functioned superbly, with the added benefit of fresh air and exercise contributing to their good health. It is doubtful that ancient humans developed hay fever.
However, hay fever is a condition that can improve considerably if we can get back to basics, diet-wise.