A recent study conducted in Germany shows a clear link between anxiety disorders and pollen allergies. It’s not necessarily evident whether anxiety disorders and depression are risk factors for developing allergies or if combatting allergies increases the chance that someone will develop a mental illness. If you’ve been struggling with hay fever, it may pay to make an appointment at your local therapist’s office. As for ENT’s, it’ll be that much more important for them to assess a patient’s holistic well-being when developing allergy remedies.
What were the results of the allergy remedy study?
Researchers working at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) collaborated with a number of other scientists from institutions across Germany and Switzerland. They recruited 1,782 participants between the ages of 39 and 88 living in the Augsburg area of Germany.
Based on personal reports of allergy symptoms, scientists found a strong correlation between those with anxiety disorders and seasonal allergies as well as patients with depression and perennial allergies. Surprisingly, the study demonstrated that psychological factors had little to no effect on food and drug allergies. The experiment did admittedly have a rather high average age and reports were based on self-analysis. That being said, the numbers tell quite a clear story.
What Does That Mean for Me?
If you’re frequently visiting the ENT’s office, mental wellness should be part of your everyday routine. Stress relief may, in fact, prove to be one of your best allergy remedies. While over-the-counter medications can treat some of your symptoms, your holistic self-care plan can help to minimize the number of histamines in your bloodstream.
After all, the body’s various systems are all connected. What affects one will certainly affect another. Make sure that you’re eating a healthy diet, maintaining a regular exercise routine, sleeping 7-8 hours every night, and staying active socially.
What Does That Mean for Buffalo, NY Allergy Doctors?
Physicians know that all illnesses have at least some psychosomatic factors. It’s essential that ENTs learn to listen carefully to patients and ask the right questions. Doctors need to prescribe allergy remedies that treat the patient as a whole—as more than the sum of his symptoms.