If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you might be surprised to learn that your gut could be the key to finding relief. The trillions of bacteria living in your digestive system do much more than help you digest food—they actually control how your immune system reacts to things like pollen.
How Your Gut Shapes Allergy Responses
Your digestive bacteria and immune cells work as partners in a back-and-forth relationship. The microbes in your gut affect how your body reacts to allergens, while your immune responses decide which bacteria can flourish in your digestive tract. Scientists are still unraveling this complex interaction, but evidence keeps growing that gut microbiome makeup strongly influences your risk of developing immune-related conditions.
Research looking into why asthma and allergies are on the rise points to limited exposure to helpful microbes early in childhood as a key issue. When babies and young children don’t develop proper bacterial communities in their digestive and breathing systems, their immune systems fail to learn proper tolerance. This leads to bodies that are more likely to have allergic reactions and infections when exposed to everyday things like pollen, dust, and animals. Researchers are now trying to identify exactly which microbes help teach the immune system to be more tolerant.
Some Probiotics Can Make Allergies Worse
While probiotics are generally good for you, some strains can actually worsen allergy symptoms. Certain bacteria like Lactobacillus reuteri, l. casei, and l. Delbrueckii naturally produce histamine by converting amino acids through an enzyme called histidine decarboxylase. Even though these bacteria are normally found in healthy guts, the histamine they make can trigger or worsen symptoms in people who are sensitive to it.
Breakthrough Research on Probiotic Relief
A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled trial highlights how the right probiotic can make a real difference for seasonal allergies. Researchers studied people with Japanese cedar pollinosis and gave some participants the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium longum bb536 while others got a placebo. The results were impressive.
People taking the probiotic had much better outcomes than those taking the placebo. Fewer people in the probiotic group had to stop treatment because their symptoms got too severe, and they needed less allergy medication overall. Daily tracking showed significant reductions in runny nose, nasal congestion, and overall discomfort. The probiotic also seemed to calm down their immune system’s typical allergic response, which researchers could measure through lower levels of allergy-related markers in their blood.
Supporting Gut Health During Allergy Season
Asthma and allergic rhinitis have become much more common in recent decades, and diet plays a big role in how severe these conditions become. Vitamins A, D, and E, along with zinc, selenium, and fiber, help control the inflammatory pathways that drive allergic reactions. These nutrients work partly by supporting the good bacteria in your gut.
Some research suggests that plant-based diets might help reduce allergy symptoms, though more studies are needed to establish clear dietary recommendations for prevention and management.
When toxins and waste build up in your digestive system, they can throw off your gut balance and worsen immune dysfunction. Colon hydrotherapy gently removes this buildup, creating better conditions for beneficial bacteria to flourish during challenging allergy seasons.
Ready to explore how gut health could help with your allergies? Schedule your appointment today.