If you’re constantly having allergic reactions you may be surprised to know that there are links between allergies and weight loss, keeping you from being healthy in more than one way. You don’t have to keep one foot on the scale and one hand on the tissue forever, though.
Irresistibly delicious
Telling you there’s a link between eating and being overweight is so obvious it’s a little insulting but did you know that there’s more than one way eating can make you heavier?
Most people don’t realize just how many things they’re actually allergic to. Without a comprehensive allergen skin test, it’s hard to know. So what happens when you eat something you’re allergic to? Swelling.
One of the ways your body can react is by getting inflamed. With your body releasing large amounts of hormones like histamine, it reacts by retaining fluid in areas like the belly, chin and eyes.
You may see this and think: “No problem! I’ll just take an anti-histamine.”
Strings attached
Antihistamines have been touted as the most convenient way to relieve allergy symptoms. Antihistamines aren’t an effective way to get rid of allergies themselves but they can make living with them more comfortable. The problem is the link to weight loss.
The reason for this has to do with histamine itself. Histamine, it seems, naturally suppresses your appetite. Studies have shown that antihistamines get rid of that suppression signal when they block your histamine receptor.
What follows is a natural increase in appetite and if you combine it with a food you may be allergic to (or simply bad choices), you’re bound to put on some pounds. In fact, people who take antihistamines were 55% more likely to be overweight than people who didn’t.
That’s a pretty big number but what are you supposed to do? Stop eating? Keep suffering? Neither.
Putting it to bed
If your allergies mean you have a chance of getting inflamed because of what you eat, and you gain weight by trying to control them with antihistamines, what options are you left with? How about getting rid of the allergies entirely?
Ear, nose and throat doctors who specialize in allergies have been steadily eliminating them from the population with immunotherapy shots. How they work is given away in the first half of that word.
Allergy shots make you more and more immune to your allergies by exposing you to increasing levels of the allergen itself. The idea is that over time your body gets used to it and won’t have a reaction in the future.
They’re more of a permanent solution than antihistamines but they certainly work. There are even sublingual drops for those who don’t get along with needles.
Try a Win-Win
So, just because you weren’t aware that your allergies were causing your weight gain doesn’t mean you have to live with one or the other.
At Houston Sinus & Allergy, we see a variety of allergy issues that result in weight gain, as well as other stressful or painful situations, and we know how to provide long-term relief.
If you’re experiencing difficulty in smelling or nasal breathing, Book an assessment with us, and let us help you breathe normally again.
how can i manage constant insatiable hunger due to histamine intolerance?