Spring is in the air, and for many people that means allergies are acting up. But is it just the pollen that is making you sneeze up a storm? Maybe that stress your under has something to do with it. While stress can’t cause allergies, it can exacerbate the symptoms.

According to WebMD: “Stress is your body’s response to conflict or situations—both internal and external—that interfere with the normal balance in your life. Virtually all of the body’s systems, including the digestive system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, and immune system, make adjustments in response to stress. When you are feeling anxious or stressed, your body releases numerous hormones and other chemicals, including histamine. Histamine is a powerful chemical that can lead to allergy-like symptoms. Stress does not cause allergies, but it can make an existing reaction worse by increasing the level of histamine in the bloodstream.”

So the next time you finding yourself scratching that itch that won’t go away, think about what you can do to reduce your stress. In addition to regular massage, exercise, yoga, and hot bubble baths are all great ways to calm yourself so you can enjoy these beautiful spring days.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 5:37 pm and is filed under Health Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.