Stress And Allergies

Stress and Allergies
Wisdom from the Vet
When I was in college I took a class in veterinary science that
was given by the head veterinarian of the university, Dr Dale
Smith Our university was known for its school of Agriculture
and had a reputation as being a “hands on” college As a result
we had large herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, pigs, horses,
foul and so forth Our vet believed in a holistic approach to
animal health
Dr Smith had been the university vet for almost thirty years,
and his own father had been a vet before him The first day he
told our class, “The most important thing of all for you to be
concerned with in animal health is reducing stress Virtually
all the diseases of livestock you will encounter are caused by
stress”
He further explained that most genetic diseases had long ago
been eliminated with livestock through selective breeding What
you saw instead were animals that were sick because the farmer
or rancher wasn’t taking care of them properly They were left
outside with no shade in the heat, left with no protection to
get out of the wind, stuck in an over-crowded corral, fed a diet
too low in nutrients, something that would cause stress
“The stress causes a breakdown,” said the vet, “and then
disease of some kind shows up It could be a pneumonia, cancer,
allergies, any number of things, but stress always sets the
stage for this disease”
I have long wondered how it was that a veterinarian understood
this so clearly and our own doctors didn’t seem to pay much
attention to it at all We are animals after all Stress must
affect us just as it does all the other species of animals I
think most of us who have lived with allergies understand that
stress can aggravate the allergies We’ll never be able to
eliminate all stress from our lives But we can learn ways to
reduce it, and we can learn ways to deal with it Whenever
possible it is healthy to try to see some of this stress as a
challenge If we live active lives, we can expect plenty of
stress, and that’s all right as long as we don’t let it get the
best of us
In Allergy-Free Gardening and in Safe Sex in the Garden I
explore how plant sex influences human wellness If we have
female rather than male plants, we won’t be inhaling all that
male pollen and we won’t suffer from it Allergy-friendly yards
and gardens are stress busters
In addition to decreasing the number of allergens, pollen
grains, molds, and fungal spores, there are other things we can
do to reduce stress in our lives, in our gardens
Are allergies just a head-trip?
There is a reoccurring problem with stress and allergies The
problem is one of perception It is well known that stress
aggravates allergies If you did a computer search using the
terms “stress, illness, disease,” you might well be amazed at
the hundreds of thousands of entries you’d find For example, on
the website healthdoccom there’s an article, “Stress, the
number one cause of disease and Illness”
Even if the role of stress and illness is not as generally well
understood, as it ought to be, it is certainly well documented
Stress contributes to heart disease in certain individuals
Stress also contributes to high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, and other cardiac risk factors, and many other
negative things as well Someone with allergies who is under
stress will almost certainly experience worse allergies The
problem here is that too many people mix up cause and effect
Allergies are caused by an allergic response to allergens, to
perfectly real substances, pollens, molds, dust, dander,
allergic plant saps and so forth
All too often ignorant people will imply that someone has
allergies simply because they don’t know how to deal with
stress The implication is that you have allergies because you
don’t really have your head screwed on straight This isn’t true
at all, and actually it is rather insulting The next step in
this illogical progression is that you deserve to have allergies
since you’re bringing it on yourself The people making these
assumptions are, of course, people who don’t have allergies
themselves They don’t know how lucky they are, nor do they
realize how arrogant are their views Having persistent
allergies can become pretty depressing and frustrating and
critics are often insensitive to this as well
Yes, allergies can be aggravated by stress, but then too, so can
any other illness be complicated by stress Allergies are
completely for real A few examples of this: Years ago when I
gave my students different flowers to sniff, we quickly found
out that a third of the class reacted strongly to bottlebrush
pollen Later, in blind tests with different types of pollen,
the same students all again reacted strongly to the bottlebrush
pollen Another example: I have seen people who were very
allergic to shrimp I have seen what happened to them when they
ate some food that they’d been told did not have shrimp in it,
but that actually did They immediately became very ill
When an allergist skin tests someone, often this is done on
their back They can’t see the pricks nor do they know which
allergen is being tested with each prick of the skin Their skin
will then react with a welt to the ones they are allergic to If
they are re-tested soon afterwards, the results will be the
same Allergic responses are totally for real and this simple
fact needs to be respected
Back to stress Here are some things we can do to reduce stress
in our gardens
Forget about perfection
We don’t need perfect gardens, not at all Our gardens do not
need to conform to some ideal We should have gardens that
please us, and that is what’s really important Think of your
garden as your place to feel relaxed, to kick back, to unwind
Good gardens can be great stress reducers
Garden Design
When you first set up your gardens think about how they will be
used Borrow liberally from good feng shui concepts of energy
and harmony Consider first the function and design gardens that
are a pleasure to be in If you can possibly afford it, get
professional advice from a landscape designer or a landscape
architect These people are experts on how to create
comfortable, attractive, stress-free gardens Their advice might
in the long run, turn out to be quite a bargain With some
things you do get what you pay for With a good designer you get
a quality design, one that will long keep you pleased
While you’re thinking about how your landscape might look, buy
some of the magazines on landscape design and look them over
See what attracts you There are many excellent books on
landscape design and these too can help you set up a relaxing,
enjoyable garden I recommend you go down to the bookstore, take
some time, and look over all the books on garden design Even if
your yards are already landscaped, these books and magazines are
still valuable, because you can always make changes You can
always try to improve your garden
Wild Birds
Wild birds in a garden make it more fun and it is stress
reducing just to watch them All bird feeders add to your
pleasure I especially love those long, porous mesh bags that
you can fill with Niger thistle seed You hang these over a high
branch, and the goldfinches will go crazy for it Quickly the
little goldfinches become almost tame Just watching them feed
is relaxing The larger, more aggressive sparrows tire quickly
of trying to feed from these mesh bags, and this conserves the
niger seed, which as bird seed goes, is a bit pricey
Humming bird feeders are great additions to a garden and who
doesn’t like to watch humming birds? If you can’t appreciate
humming birds, almost certainly your life has far too much
stress in it right now Hang up a hummingbird feeder, relax, and
enjoy the show
A birdbath can be handsome in the garden, and the birds will
enjoy it too Watching robins splash in a birdbath is good
karma Be sure to keep the water clean A dirty birdbath can
spread diseases among the birds, so hosing it out daily is a
great idea
Wind Chimes
I especially like those bamboo wind chimes but actually, almost
any wind chimes add a nice, mellow touch in the garden I will
admit though that there are a few chimes that are pitched too
high for my taste The most important thing is that the chimes
sound pleasant to you Hang your chimes in a spot free of
obstructions, where they will catch the breeze When the wind
blows, the chimes sing to you
Water
Little ponds, tiny waterfalls, water fountains, all of these
are proven stress reducers Certain sounds irritate the human
psyche, car alarms blasting in the night, dogs barking on and
on But other sounds soothe the soul like the sound of splashing
water or water tumbling over stones Placed in the right spot in
a garden all these wet additions can do much for the ambiance of
the landscape Fish in a pond can add quite a bit too More than
one new parent has discovered the calming effect that watching
fish swim in an aquarium has on their babies A few goldfish in
a pond is attractive too A little pond also expands the kinds
of plants you can grow in your garden With a pond you can have
water lilies Today there are many water fountains available and
some are not too expensive either Considering their value for
reducing stress, they seem like a bargain
Lawn furniture
This needn’t be anything fancy, but every garden ought to have
a nice spot or two to sit and relax A few garden chairs can
make a big difference A little table is good too Lounge chairs
are by design stress-busters When I was young we had something
called a chaise lounge that rocked and was just plain fun to sit
in More stress reduction If you have an overhanging branch
that looks perfect for it, hang a swing from it Swinging
reduces stress too There has been considerable research into
the importance of rocking babies back and forth Any mother
understands how well this works Perhaps swinging works the same
way?
A comfortable garden bench is a worthy addition to any
landscape Place it where two lovers, young or old, can sit and
enjoy the view and each other
Read a book
Seriously, sit in an easy chair in your comfortable garden and
read a book Turn off the TV and go outside Commune with
Nature Read a book on how to reduce stress in your life if you
think it might help Read something on how to maintain a
positive, cheery attitude I find these always give me a boost
But just sitting in the garden and reading a good book is stress
reducing The natural light is good for your eyes and good for
all of you Read a novel if you like Do sit out in your garden
and read The results are all positive
Fruit trees
Why not use some fruit trees in the landscape? There is
something so basic, so fundamentally satisfying to go outside on
a warm summer morning and pick a ripe apricot, peach, apple, or
plum Actually, just watching the fruit develop on the tree is
satisfying too If you’re inclined and you turn some of that
fruit into jams, jellies, pies, or preserves, that’s also
fantastic And fruit trees can be perfectly ornamental in the
landscape Few trees look half as good to me as a fruit laden
apricot tree
Vegetables
If you have the space consider some kind of a vegetable garden
too There is something about growing tomatoes and string beans
that is good for the soul
You certainly don’t need a large spot for growing vegetables
although it would be great if you had the room Working in a
vegetable garden is relaxing, something very basic If you have
a spot that gets good sunlight most of the day, consider having
some sort of a vegetable garden Even if it is just a little
area where you can grow a few tomato plants each year, the
pleasure and stress reduction from this can be incredible
Compost
A compost pile doesn’t need to be big or fancy or complicated
You can build a simple wooden box with no bottom and throw all
your old banana peels, apple cores, carrot tops, grass
clippings, leaves and so on into it Get some red worms and add
them to the compost They’ll multiply like mad and turn all the
garbage into wonderful compost Now and then you can remove some
of the finished compost and use it in you garden Composting is
easy, fun, is earth-friendly, and it makes you feel good
A Barbecue
It doesn’t need to be elaborate but if you still enjoy a
hamburger or steak or grilled piece of chicken, why not have
some kind of a barbecue? Even if you’re vegetarian, you can
still cook outside on a grill Bell peppers, chilies, and corn
taste great right off a grill Anyhow, you can get creative
Sometimes this provides a good excuse to sit out in the yard
while the food cooks A barbecue can turn an ordinary meal into
a little outdoor adventure
Moveable Pots
I like to have some large pots of flowers that I move around
When they are looking great, I move them up front where everyone
can see them When they are looking ratty, I stick them off on
the side of the house to recuperate I use enough moveable pots
with enough different kinds of flowers planted in them, so that
I can almost always have something colorful to brighten up any
day
A Lawn
Lawns are a lot of trouble supposedly but really, they are
great places for kids to play on Far too many people get hung
up on having a “perfect lawn” and with this attitude a lawn can
quickly become a big chore A perfect lawn ought to be a lawn
that you like If it has three different kinds of grasses in it
and a dandelion or two—and that doesn’t bother you, then
that’s a great lawn Lawns don’t need to be huge; in fact
excessively large lawns are not worth the effort But a small
nice piece of lawn is a people-friendly addition to a garden
Use lawn grasses that are low-pollen or pollen-free
Privacy
If you like to sunbathe in the nude or just feel like walking
out back in your underwear in the morning, you ought to be able
to do it without some neighbor looking at you Front yards can
be wide open perhaps, but a back yard needs to provide some
privacy Screens of shrubs or trees can provide this as can a
simple 6-foot tall cedar board fence Having privacy in your
garden makes it feel like more of a retreat, a spot to get away
from the troubles of the world, somewhere to step right out of
the rat race
The author, Thomas Leo Ogren, is an internationally recognized
expert on plant sexuality as it relates to human health

Tags | allergies, approach, dale, diseases, genetic, holistic, science, university, veterinary