HEALTHY GUT = EASY BREATHING
What are allergies? Allergies are when the body comes into contact with a substance and the immune system overreacts to it – the substance is normally harmless! Allergies are the most common chronic disease in Europe; a staggering 44% of British adults now suffer from at least one allergy. The number of sufferers is on the rise, growing by around 2 million between 2008 and 2009 alone. Almost half (48%) of sufferers have more than one allergy.
Allergies are caused when a harmless foreign substance called an antigen (like pollen, for example) enters your system. Your immune system overreacts and releases an antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE.), which is bound to some mast cells.
Symptoms of allergies caused by your histamines working to ‘protect’ you include a runny nose, watery eyes, constriction of bronchi, tissue swelling – these are all things your body does to try to expel the substance it thinks is trying to harm you.
Unfortunately, in this scenario, all this trouble is for nothing. The poor pollen cells aren’t really a threat to your system, and it’s the overreaction of your immune system with IgE. which has made everything go horribly wrong.
Studies have shown you can treat an allergic reaction by boosting the action of your immune system. This is so it can still protect you from bad stuff, whilst not overreacting to innocent antigens.
Vitamin A in kefir contributes to the normal function of the immune system in two ways which impact allergic reactions:
