Allergies and the Body/Mind/Spirit Connection

Spring is in the air and so is the accompanying pollen! How will it affect you?

Allergies and the Body/Mind/Spirit Connection

It is allergy season here in the Southwest with the accompanying sneezing, sniffling and feeling miserable in general. Are you one of the many who are part of this web?  I say web because it can be something we can get caught up in, the collective unconscious, so to speak. “It is just something that happens this time of year. There is nothing I can do about it.” I beg to challenge this assumption.

For many years when in my twenties, I used to get a bad cold/flu around the Holidays. I thought it was just because I was around a lot of people in close quarters.  I commented to a Course in Miracles friend that “I always get sick after the Holidays”.  He said “You know, it doesn’t have to be that way” and from then on my Holiday colds ended. Mind over matter, that can apply to allergies, too.  I used to be very allergic to cats. I could be in someone’s home who had cats that I didn’t even know about, and within 15 minutes I couldn’t breathe and was sneezing uncontrollably.  During a Shamanic journey, I  acquired a female cougar as a power animal. After befriending her and coming to peace with her and my power, I no longer was allergic to cats. Interesting body/mind /spirit connections!

And so, at this time of year, I find myself sneezing and sniffling and feeling miserable in general. As I become more conscious of when the sneezing attacks occur, I find they are connected to stressful situations, as when I receive an e-mail from someone about a controversial situation or am writing down a stressful dream I just had or when reading the morning newspaper. Interesting connections, again!

I also find when dealing with clients that the more stressed they are in general, the worse their allergies symptoms. This has to do with the adrenals (stress regulators) and the immune system.  Stressed adrenals weaken the immune system making them more sensitive to their environment, physical and emotional. Are these clients getting enough sleep, taking enough “down” time, eating well, being conscious of their negative emotions and relationships? All of these can weaken the body’s normal stress regulators. Eating well and avoiding sweets, fatty foods and too much caffeine or alcohol can be helpful. Taking vitamin and herbal supplements, such as Vitamin C and bioflavinoids,  multiple Bs,  essential fatty acids ( fish oils) ,  kelp and various adrenal supplements in the form of herbs (ashwaganda, ginseng, licorice, eleuthero or rehmannia), glandulars or homeopathics. Taking time daily to de-stress through such activities as walking, meditating, yoga or deep breathing and keeping the nervous system working properly through regular Chiropractic care are all essential to maintaining good health. Being mindful, in general, is what it is all about – taking time to notice what we are feeling, doing, thinking and how it is affecting us.

Other methods that can be helpful deal with connecting to the spirit realms. If juniper pollen is what you are sensitive to, connecting to the spirit of the juniper plant to find out what its gift is or what message it is trying to get across.  One can also connect with the immune system to see if there is a better way it can deal with the pollens in the air that is not so incapacitating.

On the Mind/Body/ Spirit level many things come into play that affect our general well being and all need to be considered to maintain optimal functioning. Sometimes, we can do it alone. Sometimes, we need the assistance of other health care practitioners. Whatever you choose, being mindful of what is going on in your life and in your body is the first step.  The next step is up to you. It doesn’t have to be allergy season , after all.