Are you part of the lucky 30% of Canadians who suffer from seasonal allergies? With so many allergy sufferers, the conversation around environmental irritants is definitely an important one to have.

So, let’s talk about seasonal allergies. You may have noticed that your allergies got worse even earlier this year. Well, isn’t that fun? Emerging from winter and a global pandemic that affects our respiratory system, right into seasonal allergies with similar symptoms, it’s no wonder seasonal allergies is a hot and important topic. From March to September, we must co exist with the trees, grass and weeds that can cause a host of allergy symptoms including congestion, runny nose, loss of smell, itchy eyes, headaches, sneezing and even a rash that is similar to eczema can appear.

So, you have allergies, but how do you manage them in world where you can’t just stay indoors at all times, and that wouldn’t even be good for you anyways, based on dust and other toxins indoors? Well, whenever someone enters my office with seasonal allergy symptoms, I always tend to start with the lymphatic system and the liver. An allergic reaction is an overreaction of the immune system to a certain substance. For example, our allergen specific antibodies, called immunoglobulins, see a pollen overload and are like HARD NO! and they begin to react in ways that become uncomfortable for us to live with.

Sorry to my Ottawa peeps, you live in the Canadian city with the highest pollen count. So it’s no surprise, if you live in the Nation’s capital, you might be on the hunt for relief for your allergy symptoms.

Listen to episode #10 of The One Body Wellness podcast on any podcast listening app for the ways in which I recommend you tackle allergy symptoms and reach out if you have another other questions!

Cranial Osteopathy is a non-invasive form of manipulation that focuses on the practitioners acute palpation skills to sense the inherent motion of the cranial bones and cerebral spinal fluid. Most of the work is done with the cranium, and effective pressure is applied to cranial bones to stimulate the body’s self healing mechanism, regulate the nervous system and improve the flow of fluid in the ventricles of the brain.

The reason that this kind of therapy is so effective is that an osteopathic practitioner can detect tension in the body, even in the feet, and how it can affect cranial rhythm. Emotional and physical stress can remain in the body for years after trauma and start to cause changes in the inherent motions of our cranial bones, spinal cord and cerebral spinal fluid. These changes can lead to chronic headaches/migraines, jaw pain, changes in our mood, outlook and personality, and even start to cause long-term effects on the brain tissue itself.

Head trauma is extremely common and commonly misdiagnosed. Even small trauma, like hitting your head on the wall while getting into bed, or getting hit by someone’s elbow accidentally, can cause micro-trauma in the cranium and changes to cranial rhythm. Cranial osteopathy can be an all-inclusive approach or complimentary treatment in a post-concussion disorder treatment plan.

Cranial osteopathy can help detect early signs of scoliosis and brain/spinal pathologies in children, help improve colic or troubled sleepers, improve the suckling and gag reflexes and improve the shape of the skull.

It can also:

help the body manage the effects of stress
reduce tension headaches, improve clarity
manage insomnia
reduce jaw pain (TMJ dysfunction)
reduce muscular tension in neck muscles
relieve symptoms of sinusitis, allergies, anxiety
relieve pressure in the sub-occipital region, reduce condylar compression and improve cranial nerve function (hearing loss, eye sight, taste)

Pippa Middleton was recently interviewed when she claims that she takes her infant to receive cranial osteopathy treatments. She mentioned his overall sense of calm, and changes to his sleeping and digestive habits to be a significant reason as to why she endorses this type of therapy.