Allergies are the result of your immune system mistakenly identifying harmless substances, known as allergens, as harmful invaders. In response to these perceived threats, your immune system releases chemicals like histamine to combat the allergens. It is this release of histamine that leads to the various symptoms associated with allergies, such as sneezing, a runny nose, and watery eyes.
Sneezing
When allergens, such as pollen or pet dander, enter your nose, they can irritate the nasal passageways. In response to this irritation, your body triggers a sneeze reflex to expel the allergens from your nasal passages. Sneezing helps remove the irritants and protect your respiratory system.
Runny Nose
The irritation caused by allergens leads to increased production of mucus in your nasal passages. This excess mucus is produced to trap and remove the allergens from your nose. The result is a runny nose, where mucus flows out to help clear the allergens from the nasal cavity.
Watery eyes
The same immune response that occurs in the nose can also affect your eyes. When allergens come into contact with your eyes, they can trigger the release of histamine in the conjunctiva, the tissue that covers the white part of your eyes and lines your eyelids. This histamine release causes blood vessels in the conjunctiva to dilate, leading to redness and irritation. Additionally, the histamine can also stimulate the tear glands, resulting in increased tear production and watery eyes. The tears are meant to wash away the allergens and protect the eyes.
Overall, these symptoms are the body's way of trying to eliminate the allergens and protect itself. While these responses are essential for dealing with actual threats, they become problematic when the immune system overreacts to harmless substances in the case of allergies.
Some other ailments, like sinus infections, asthma, and a stuffy nose can all be traced to the digestive system and a series of events that trigger these symptoms and increase the susceptibility to infection. You could be experiencing a malabsorption of macronutritients (carbs, fats, proteins) in the gut lining. Essentially, the body could be mistaking undigested food particles (especially proteins) for foreign invadors that have snuck into the bloodstream via a destroyed gut lining.
WHY HAVING AN IMMUNE RESPONSE IS A GOOD THING
Keep in mind that having an immune response is a good thing... Your body is behaving normally in order to keep you safe and healthy. That said, frequent illness is the sign of an immune system that works, but it may also indicate that the body needs better antioxidant access, less irritants, or more of the micro- or macronutrients necessary to run a healthy immune system.
Some situations that could result in imbalanced immune function include:
- Inadequate sleep or rest
- Inadequate and/or inappropriate movement
- Anatomical misalignment
- Lack of community or loneliness
- Not doing what you love, lack of passion for life
- History of trauma or adverse events
