My complete guide to sinus and allergy relief

“Dr. Warren, what can I do about my allergies?”

We receive this question in my clinic about 10x per week. A couple of years ago, I would have just given them a protocol (which I will get to later) and sent them on their way. And 90% of the time, they would see symptoms improve in a day or two.

Sounds good, right?! Not to me. This is because the other side of the story is that almost all of my patients would have reoccurring sinus issues that popped up with each change in season, outdoor activity, or new stressor in life.

This observation concerned me. While allergists claim the leading culprits are the pollen and allergens that we breathe in, I knew there had to be more to it.

Think about it. Why can you have a hundred people standing in the same park, breathing in the same air, and yet only a subset of the group develop sinus and allergy issues?

Then it hit me. It’s not the air that determines your allergy issues, it’s your body’s internal response to the outside world.

The core of the problem is a failure to adapt to your environment. So let’s clear the air a little bit (pun intended). It’s not the air you breath in, it’s you! The great news about this discovery is that you can control and change how efficiently your body adapts and builds health by the choices you make on a regular basis!

With this truth in mind, let’s talk about some strategies to help you adapt more efficiently to your outside environment.

In order to understand how to help the body adapt at its highest capabilities, we must first look at what controls the process of adaptation in the body, and that is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a region of the forebrain that orchestrates the autonomic nervous system, pituitary, and all of your homeostatic functions. So if we want to work on more efficient adaptation, we need to support the hypothalamus!

Top 3 for Hypothalamus Support:

1. Adaptogens: Rhodiola, Ashwaganda, Cordyceps, ginseng, and maca

2. Proprioception: Exercise, vibration platform, and chiropractic adjustments (The most powerful bio-hack on the planet in my opinion!)

3. Emotional and spiritual wellness: Positive thoughts, prayer, and meditation

The second thing that we have to look for are areas of your own internal environment that need support in order to boost your ability to heal and adapt.

Top 5 for Internal Sinus Support:

1. Butterbur: A natural anti-histamine to open up the nasal pathway.

2. Feverfew: Another anti-histamine that can help to reduce sinus headaches.

3. Mucosal enzymes: Enzymes that can reduce mucous over-production.

4. Vitamin C: Supports adrenals during stress response and adaptation response, boosts immune system, and is also a natural anti-histamine.

5. Quercitin: Naturally found in citrus fruits and has been shown to reduce inflammation.

For specific product recommendations, try:

• ImmuneBalance Sinus by Garden of Life
• HistaEze by Designs for Health
• Hista-Ade by Quicksilver Scientific

All supplements are available on our Wellevate store here. 

If sinus issues continue to bother you, then consider taking some advanced steps to find relief.

Top 5 Advanced Actions for Allergy Relief:

1. Cut out cows milk dairy. If you must drink milk, source it from a local farmer with A2 pasture-raised cows, and get the milk in its rich, bio-available, raw form. This can be a superfood for someone with a healthy, non-leaky gut. However, in my clinical experience, very few people don’t have a damaged gut. It is far better for most individuals to cut out cows milk entirely. My favorite alternatives are raw goats milk, macadamia milk, organic coconut milk, or flaxmilk. Make sure all cheese is either from goats or sheep and is in its raw form.

2. Check to see if you have your own source of mold called MARCONS. I’ve found this to be a very common issue in my clinic in Chattanooga, TN. The solution to this is to find a compound pharmacy that will do a nasal spray of colloidal silver and EDTA to break down the bio-film and kill the mold. I recommend 2 sprays/day for 6 months or until problem is resolved.

3. Check the jaw size and alignment. This is another problem that is getting worse due to epigenetic changes from generational toxicity (heavy metals passed down from mother to baby) and nutritional deficiencies, especially in the realm of fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) and minerals. One quick way to know if your jaw is not in the appropriate position is if you are a mouth breather. We are meant to breathe through our nose, and when we do, the tongue pushes against the teeth and expands the palate to create a nice wide-structured jaw. A misshapen jaw will not only affect the way the upper sinuses function, but they can also affect the amount of oxygen that you breathe in.

4. Consume local raw honey and bee pollen. Enjoy in the evening with a drop of orange, lemon, and peppermint essential oil. This will help to open up the sinuses as well as train the body to adapt to your environment.

5. Reduce your toxic load! Our bodies are bombarded by toxins, both in our environment and passed down generationally. Consider getting a good indoor air filter like Air Doctor to reduce indoor toxicants, which have been shown to be up to 100 times greater than what you breathe outside. Add plants that also help to filter your indoor air and make your house look great at the same time! Make sure to change out your cookware to non-toxic sources like stainless steel or cast iron, get rid of as much plastic as possible, and use non-toxic cleaning products like Branch Basics or Seventh Generation. Once these “low hanging fruit” have been addressed, then you can begin to safely remove heavy metals, mold and other biotoxins, petro-chemicals, plastics, and more. To learn more about the most effective way to reduce toxicity, check out one tool we use with our patients and clients, True Cellular Detox.