Allergy affects as many as 41 million people in the UK. Effective allergy treatment is a complex dance, not just of antihistamines and immunotherapy, but of understanding environment, diet and mental health. There is evidence, for instance, that some allergies are linked to anxiety and depression.
Researchers have discovered a connection between patients with generalised anxiety disorder and those with seasonal allergies such as hay fever. Because stress hormones can exacerbate the immune system response to allergens, stress reduction is a critical tool in making allergy symptoms less severe. Managing anxiety through counselling or complementary therapies to restore mind-body balance may help alleviate symptoms. Talk therapy breaks down things that are making you worried so you are better able to cope. The more relaxed you are, the less likely you are to have an exceptional inflammatory reaction.
Good gut health is also a key component in managing allergy. You may have heard about the value of probiotics for those with inflammatory bowel diseases, but regulating bacteria could similarly lead to a less active immune response for allergy sufferers.
The microbiome is the group of microbes in our bodies, mainly in our lower intestines, which include viruses, bacteria and fungi, that drives our immune system and controls digestion.
“There is an epidemic of food allergy at the moment in young people,” Professor Tim Spector said in a Royal Institution lecture in 2019. “These microbes are the keys to allergy, about how our immune system recognises threats and gets it wrong or right.” Spector, the epidemiologist who also founded the Covid symptom-tracker app Zoe, said in a recent podcast: “We’ve lost half of our gut microbes perhaps compared to 50 or even 100 years ago and that’s affecting us in many ways — and yet, it’s not like genetics that you can’t change, it’s something that all of us can improve.”
The health of the gut in relation to allergy is one of the topics of Spector’s forthcoming book, Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well. It’s also an area of increasing interest for researchers. Scientists at the University of Chicago are examining whether a bacterial compound called butyrate, made by healthy microbiomes, could be administered as a treatment to minimise allergic reactions to food by restoring the gut’s protective barrier.
Consultants at our integrated health clinic, 999 Medical Centre, always look at patients in the round to ensure every potential cause of inflammation and pain is examined and treated holistically by a range of specialists working in concert — from GPs to psychotherapists to nutritionists. We’re bringing that same approach to our paediatric allergy service, which we’re launching in October. With the new term starting, children may be exhibiting complaints that could be written off as nerves but may in fact be reactions to allergens: a persistently sore or upset tummy could be a food intolerance, while a cough that doesn’t go away might be allergic asthma, which has a strong correlation to food allergy.
Whichever member of the family is dealing with allergy issues, it’s worth remembering there are interventions to help you cope. There are infinite solutions on the path to wellbeing.
Dr Eric Ansell is director of 999 Medical Centre, www.999medical.com
