WAC Magazine

APRIL | 2014

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24 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | APRIL 2014 Wellness By Paul Dompé, ND F or many of us, spring is a time of celebration. We emerge from the dark, cold and gray months of winter and welcome the nourishing sunlight and beautiful blooms of the new season. We feel inspired to move and get outside. But for those of us with seasonal allergies, spring can be dreadful. After all, it's hard to enjoy the beauty of the season when you suffer from itchy eyes, runny nose, sinus congestion, and excessive sneezing. Commonly prescribed and over-the-counter medications can cause unwanted side effects for those who choose to fight their allergies. Fortunately, there are safe and supportive ways to prevent or minimize allergy symptoms that can help us be less dependent on these medications. Spring allergies—also called hay fever or allergic rhinitis—stem from hyper- reactions of our immune systems to exposure to environmental substances such as pollens, mold spores, dust mites, and animal dander. In truth, allergies are inflammatory responses intended to protect our bodies. When exposed to allergens, the immune system releases chemicals that cause blood vessels to dilate and become more permeable, thus allowing immune cells to get to the frontlines of defense. Mucous membranes begin to discharge in an attempt to flush out the offending allergen. It takes a lot of energy for the immune system to sustain this activity, which often depletes our vitality and further hampers our ability to enjoy spring. Although allergy symptoms can feel a lot like cold symptoms, the latter usually last a few days while allergy symptoms often last more than two weeks. Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 Breathe in the season Supportive therapies to reduce allergy attacks T he itchy eyes, running nose, and sneezing that come with allergies—not to mention how drained you feel when you're under attack—can make spring miserable for some of us. Under these conditions, no tissue box is safe. Traditional medications that combat allergy symptoms come with trade-offs. The best way I know of to approach allergy season is to fortify your overall health. When it comes to doing that, I think of naturopathic medicine. This month's Wellness article is written by Dr. Paul Dompé. He provides a great overview of how we can decrease our allergy symptoms and better our overall resistance to attacks. If you'd like to explore this topic with Dr. Dompé further, call the Wellness Center at 206.839.4780. We'd be happy to set up an appointment. Spring! Oh, the misery

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