Spring Allergens Be Gone!

Sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes, skin irritations – we all know the culprit. It’s spring allergy season, and once again immune systems all across the country surrender to the pesky and invasive allergens suffocating our everyday activities. How do we escape? Zoomer speaks with registered holistic nutritionist Daniel Lacoste, as well as allergy specialist Dr. Gordon Sussman, about treatment options.

By Charlotte Bumstead

Lacoste believes the modern-day solution comes in the form of laser measured frequencies, proposing a cure for your allergies—for life. He explains it as laser treatment through acupuncture points. Lacoste considers himself an acupuncturist by trade, he studies the body from the cellular level, measuring the skin’s reaction to the electromagnetic signature of a specific allergen (such as tree pollen or ragweed). “Your skin is like a third lung,” Lacoste says. “It breathes and absorbs 60 per cent of everything you put on it.” Lacoste compares the procedure to the way the body heals itself from a wound. “The cellular memory of your body is to heal,” says Lacoste. The skin closes, a scar is formed. “Your body has an intelligence and it knows how to protect itself. I remind the body to do the same thing for allergies.” Depending on the allergy, most people require four laser treatment sessions.

When it comes to spring allergies, Sussman explains the major allergens are tree pollen. The main symptoms include: allergic rhinitis (sneezing and runny nose); allergic conjunctivitis (itchy and watering eyes); and asthmatic reactions (wheezing and short of breath). “Another complication you can see in some patients [is] a syndrome called oral-allergy syndrome, which is a food allergy that cross-reacts with birch.” There’s also the pollen fruit syndrome, which can explain the itching sensation in your mouth after eating fresh fruit, including; apples, plums, pears, cherries, nectarines; as well as some nuts and sometimes carrots and celery.

“Since pollens are floating around in the air when we breathe, it’s difficult to completely avoid it,” says Sussman. He advises controlling your indoor environment, by closing windows and using your air conditioner as a filter, as well as taking a shower to wash off the pollens after being outside. “If you have enough symptoms, you can take some form of medicines,” he says. “Some people don’t like taking medicines so there are different types of treatment.” He recommends non-drowsy antihistamines. He also points out the benefits of nasal steroids—which are completely safe and most effective when used early on. “Another treatment is immunotherapy, which is the injection form of allergy treatment. It’s also very effective, particularly for tree pollen,” says Sussman.