Blocked Sinuses (Chronic!)

[arcniz]

I've had 'hayfever' since childhood, but largely just endured it. However, allergies tend to grow worse as you age. At 52, mine went ballistic - to the extent that no prescription product on the market was fully effective in controlling the sinus problems and other symps.

When my doctor ran out of tricks, I started reading. Looked at herbs, folk remedies, etc. as well as medical research and historical anecdote. I Read thousands of articles, essays and abstracts of medical studies over 2+ years. And now I can reliably manage my atomic-powered hayfever, roll in weeds, hug our cats and dogs, laugh at dust mites, and still feel human wiith 25% less sleep (4.5-5.5 hrs, with help from melatonin)- but I can't drink beer any more. The 2-penny condensed explanation follows (from memory, so facts may vary slightly):

Allergies are proof that you are alive. Plants don't seem to have them, animals do. When your immune system t-cells encouter a protein they don't like - for whatever reason, they signal nearby mast cells to self-destruct and in so doing release nasty anti-protein chemistry.. cytokines, prostaglandins, and histamine (CPH) all very irritating things at the cellular level.

H is ancient in evolution and regulates at least three of our major life systems: digestion, wakefulness, and defence. When cells in your small intestine encounter undigested food proteins, they release histamine that, sensed locally (H2), increase digestive acid secretions upstream in the stomach, promoting more intense digestion. Very possibly H is the 'original' closed-loop control.

Inside your brain cavity, glandular secretions of H tweak H3 receptors that, literally, keep you awake. And H1 receptors, distributed widely but most dense and active in the interconnected oral, nasal, ocular, respiratory 'intakes' of your bod, eagerly respond to protein invasions with production of H that promotes the swelling, itching, dripping we know and love.

Problem 1 is that there seems to be but one kind of H for the 3 (or more?) kinds of receptors. This leads to interesting outcomes: if you have digestion problems, nasal hayfever symptoms may likely grow worse. Hayfever may mess up your sleep by leaking H into the domain of the H3 receptors. If you eat foods that are high in histidine, precursor of H, especially fish from the 'scombroid' family, then you make it easier for your bod to make the stuff that ails you. Most over-the-counter (H1) antihistamines closely resemble molecules of ethanol with an ammonia
(amino) tail attached, not too different from what you likely get by eating blue cheese with a shot of whiskey. It says a lot about alcohol that ethanol tends to both promote histamine formation by irritating things, and to alleviate histamine reaction symptoms
by blocking the H1 receptors from making you hurt. Ponder that next time you have a hangover. Same general formula as nicotene addiction - anesthesia plus irritation to start, then the anesthesia wears off - so you want to have some more. Hair of
dog.

In my case, I eventually figured out that I am - probably since birth - allergic to a wheat component called gluten- present in bread, beer, bagels, etc. Some 2 to 6 percent of European population have serious wheat allergy, (especially folks from around the north Atlantic) and probably more are subclinically allergic like me. Keyword (celiac). Food allergy causes intestinal cell changes that come on in hours, but abate over days or weeks, and so tend to be persistent in those who have 'em and do not understand the mechanism. The cell changes promote leakage of proteins thru the intestine into places where they shouldn't be - causing further CPH responses - akin to those from a splinter in your pinkie.

Probably a large portion of all the antacids sold are masking this problem in susceptible individuals. Unfortunately, the body does not rapidly metabolize or excrete H, and the liver enzyme that principally does this tends to decline with age (and possibly chemical insult or virus attack, as I suspect in my own case). The connection with hayfever is that the more H is sloshing around in your frame, the smaller the stimulus required to put you across the threshold into true misery.

So - if you want to manage hayfever:

a) Thoughtfully consider what food allergies you might have by selectively abstaining during periods of hayfever activity - if something gives you indigestion, you are almost cetainly allergic to it. Cut it out for a couple weeks, then try a controlled sample and look for increased hayfever symps, discomfort, indigestion, etc.

b) limit intake of histidine rich foods (tuna is one) during hayfever peak exposure periods,

c) keep your diet somewhat more alkaline (increases H disposal)

d) keep up your sleep (decreases H production in H3 territory)

e) use pepcid-zantac type H2 blockers to moderate intestinal H production before you have that third helping of nasi goreng and

f) use flight-ok antihistamines preemptively to keep symptoms from building up. (somewhere in this is a thresholding process that is not well explained by any research literature I have seen. Not surprising, since the FIRST real clinical understanding of any of this (h1,h2,h3) is newer than the 747's you may be driving.)


Oh yes, exercise - and bees. The Greeks had that figured out quite a long time ago. Various steroids suppress histamine quite effectively. (ergo Flonase) Exercise, sex, and bee stings promote natural surges of Cortisone, a powerful steroid. Take your pick, and enjoy. As ZaZa Gabor said -" the best revenge is living well".