This nose bacteria may worsen allergies
Too much of this nose bacteria could be the culprit to your terrible allergies. Plus I am sharing a killer BBQ sauce recipe. OK, get reading!
The park we have been staying at had a wonderful night of entertainment. The park was filled with hot air-filled balloons. I love this picture I took. It does not matter what age we are, we stop to fill our souls with a little fun and imagination.
It was neat to be able to talk to the pilots and see just how small those wicker baskets really are that take you up into the air and to watch the fire rally. The pilots would coordinate their blasts of propane and illuminate the beautiful colors of the balloons, it was quite magical.
The park is the Palm Creek Resort and Residences in Casa Grande AZ ( 1110 North Henness Road, Casa Grande, AZ 85122) Out of all the parks in Phoenix and the greater area, this is the best one. It is the most active 55+ park I have witnessed thus far in the states I have been to. There are 70-80-year-olds in perfect physical shape running marathons here. It has put me to shame! The park itself is the size of a small town interlaced with a golf course. Pickleball is a huge draw and there are tennis courts, lawn bowling, pottery, lapidary, and silversmith classes. There are so many activities to keep you young and youthful. The park is more than 85% filled with Canadians, and a third of those are from Ontario so, it has been feeling a bit like being home. Now, if we could just get our Motorhome back from the paint shop I would be in complete bliss!
Too much of this bacteria in the nose may worsen allergy symptoms
Allergy season is right around the corner, especially if you live southeast and southwest. Did you know, if you start working on your allergies now you can have less of a reaction come pollen season?Â
January is actually the perfect time however if you live in the Northeast there is still time to do some cleanup.Â
Of course, it all starts in the gut. If you can seal and heal your gut and tamp back the bacterial overgrowth you could slide right through allergy season with only maybe a tissue or two.Â
There is something else we can look at. Your nose. A study involving 55 people who suffer from hay fever and 105 people who don’t were astonished to find a certain culprit. The culprit, Streptococcus salivarius (S. Salivarius) was found 17 times more abundant in the nose of allergy sufferers than those without allergies.Â
What the researchers found in laboratory experiments with allergen-exposed cells lining the airways, S. salivarius boosted the cells’ production of proteins that promote inflammation.
Streptococcus salivarius is a commensal bacterium however, it is kept in balance with the help of other nasal and gut bacterial microbes. In the case of breathing in a good dose of pollen S. salivarius is able to adhere to the nasal epithelium under allergy response conditions.Â
Allergic rhinitis is a global health problem affecting between 10% and 40% — of all adults worldwide and is often associated with asthma. Common symptoms including nasal obstruction, itching, sneezing and clear nasal discharge are caused by immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reactions against inhaled allergens.Â
There are numerous allergic rhinitis triggers including pollens, molds, dust mites, and animal dander, and seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) is most often associated with pollen exposure.Â
Regardless of the type, S. salivarius doesn’t care so long as there is some snot involved. S. salivarius loves a good runny nose. A runny nose is full of mucous. S. salivarius binds in the airway-lining cells exposed to an allergen and slathers itself in the mucus
Hayfever is the perfect environment for S. salivarius as there is always some form of nasal mucous. The proteins on S. salivarius’ surface bind to proteins called mucins found in the slimy runny mucous which allow it to adhere and literally stick around causing even more of an inflammatory load. So, you have an inflammatory attack with pollen or antigen and then there is another inflammatory attack caused by the bacteria.Â
Of course, the study was prompted for future studies looking at the possibility of using specific medications to block the adhesion of S. salivarius.Â
Of course, my mind says, why not figure out how to reduce the populations of S. salivarius and balance its numbers by looking at the other microbes found in the gut and nasal? Much quicker, and has no side effects other than feeling much better quicker. It’s also cheaper and there is no reliance on medications.Â
Such a simpler method. There are enough medications that do nothing to help alleviate the symptoms of allergy or address the underlying cause. But, leave you with tons of side effects.Â
Your nose and throat have their own biome. However, the overuse of antibiotics, just like your gut, can wipe out the populations of the protective microbes. This allows for the once-protective bacteria to become rogue. Staphoccolous, streptococcus, pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas, and others not only cause more severe allergy symptoms but also lead to more infections such as sinusitis, strep throat, tonsillitis and contribute to influenza.Â
So, what can you do?Â
Over 90% of chronic nasal congestion starts in the gut. So, it makes sense to start with the gut. The bacteria in your gut can travel to the nose and the bacteria in your nose and your gut also communicate.Â
Getting a good mucosal repair in place along with some antimicrobials is a good first step. Just be sure to add in a probiotic to help replenish and rebalance.Â
This helps heal and seal the gut lining to stop antigens from leaking into your bloodstream. This means less allergy response. When allergy season hits, you are still going to have a reaction to taking in pollen or other foreign materials, you just will not respond as severely with typical symptoms, or for some, no response at all.
Fiber is a wonderful way to feed the bacteria that in turn, produce anti-inflammatory properties such as butyrate and crowd out the overgrowth of bacteria releasing toxins leading to more inflammation. When your gut is balanced it really means your biome is balanced, keeping everything in check so that inflammation and a histamine response is no longer a chronic problem.
Of course, take a look at your diet. Sugar and refined carbohydrates and dairy feed the bacteria that release allergy-causing toxins. Cutting these out or heavily reducing them may help curb nasal and gut overgrowth.Â
Have you tried garlic? 1 small garlic clove chopped up and left to sit for 5 minutes then, chased down with a glass of water before bed will go right to the nose and kill off the overgrowth while you sleep. Repeat for 5-7 days or until you feel relief.Â
A Neti pot is also a great trick. Have you tried one? It’s a little teapot-looking thing with a long spout. You fill it with saline solution (Celtic Sea salt and water) and pour it through one nostril and have it come out the other. This ancient Ayurvedic remedy has been used for centuries. I highly suggest a stainless steel or ceramic neti pot (lead-free) over plastic. Plastic retains bacteria and also releases xenoestrogens into the water. Not good!
If you do not want to invest in a netti pot ION Sinus Support code IB391 is a an all-natural microbiome-friendly nasal rinse for clearing dust, pollen, and other airborne environmental irritants that we are exposed to every day. It hydrates and soothes your sinus passages, supporting clear nasal breathing. If you clean up the nasal mucous membranes and allergy-causing bacteria have nowhere to live. ION Sinus Support is made of two simple ingredients purified water and humic extract. Essentially the same as a netti pot without the hassle.
NutriBiotic Citricidal Nasal Spray code NASAL is a great companion to ION Sinus Support. It is formulated to lubricate nasal passages. The grapefruit seed extract and sodium chloride are perfect for flushing out antigens and killing infections.
You can get these two all-natural sprays through my online private store. Sign up for a free account, copy the code above and paste it into the search bar, add to cart, save 10%, and free shipping. It is that simple. Plus, I appreciate your business more than Amazon will.
Have you heard of the glass of water analogy? Our glass starts half full with everyday life. Add in a poor diet, not enough water, alcohol, caffeine, and stress and the glass suddenly becomes quite full of water. When allergy season comes, your immune system is so busy with everything else it can not handle the load. The water in the glass overflows; this is your immune system overflowing.Â
Get the glass back to half full and when allergy season comes along, the glass will not overflow with water. It is this simple.Â
Class A recipe
We had our kids and some friends from the park over for a BBQ yesterday. When we planned this get-together we were supposed to have our Motorcoach which has all my glass dishes. I worked with what I had and tried to think of how to make the simplest foods. We made steak and chicken on the BBQ, totally easy. I purchased a whole chicken which was way cheaper than purchasing a bunch of chicken breasts and legs.
I prepared the chicken to make it easy for the BBQ. I got up Sunday morning and had the chicken in the HotLogic by 7 am. I cut the whole chicken in half, massaged some avocado oil all over, and sprinkled some smoked Celtic sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and dried basil. I wrapped the chicken in non-bleached parchment paper and then plastic wrap and added to a plastic dish I found in the RV we are in. I added the chicken to the HotLogic and let it slow cook for 7 hours. What a treat to cut down on BBQ time!
I made my homemade BBQ sauce, low carb and keto for those who were following this lifestyle. I also had regular store-bought BBQ sauce for those who were not.
When it was time to BBQ the steaks, hubby, took the chicken from the HotLogic and slathered on my BBQ sauce, and in the time it took to cook the steaks, the chicken was done. Guess what the best dish was? The chicken. Everyone was commenting on how tender and moist it was. My kids laugh at me because I am always talking about the HotLogic. I think yesterday they were convinced to get it out and start using it!
I only have pictures of the before and not the after because I completely forgot to take a picture. All I can tell you is it was so good.
You know how to make the chicken, let me share my easy BBQ sauce with you. I also use this recipe when I am making pulled pork, which I will share with you all soon.
This is my low-carb/keto version, feel free to use regular maple syrup and balsamic vinegar if you like. I use white balsamic vinegar because it is lower in carbohydrates than red balsamic. You can double this to make a whole bunch which I did and I am sharing that as well. This one will make about a 1/2 cup
1 (8-ounce) can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup Keto Maple syrup (Wholesome yum)
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tb ginger, minced
2 tb, onion minced
1 tb chili powder
Add the ingredients to a pot, gradually bring to a boil, let it boil for about 5 minutes then turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow it to thicken. This is just sooo good!
Yesterday I made this starting with a 16-ounce can of tomato paste. I should have written down the recipe as I went. I found that there was too much vinegar and it took a while to burn it off, but it did work. Whatever you do, do not forget the chili powder, the chili powder is the key.
This is roughly what I did, however, I am only adding the 1/4 cup of vinegar below as I think this is enough. This made about a cup and a bit.
Add the ingredients to a pot, gradually bring to a boil, let it boil for about 5 minutes then turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow it to thicken. If it is not thick enough, let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
You can then store this in a glass jar or dish with a tight-fitting lid. Slather as much as you like on the chicken and then BBQ a-way!
If you have not gotten a HotLogic yet, seriously, make your life easy and get cooking or reheating. This is such a huge help when it’s time for the big BBQ get-togethers!
Have a wonderful week full of sunshine and tulips and the ability to smell them too.
~Karen
Thank you for reading all the way to this point. I appreciate you! You deserve a little pun. What do you call someone with no body and no nose? Nobody knows.
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