Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Has anyone been able to cure this with Paleo? If not, did hunter-gatherers also get this or is it because we are exposed to so many plants that we did not evolve to be around.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001816/

Edit: my symptoms are darkish circles under my eyes and sinus congestion. I noticed that air pollution and stale air (room with closed doors) makes it much worse. No sneezing, running eyes or any other allergy symptoms.

edited Aug 25 2011 at 2:53

asked Aug 25 2011 at 1:20

Geoff
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Yes! After complaining of mild environmental allergies (chronic stuffy nose, hacking and coughing) for 60+ years, within 3 weeks of going primal it was all gone (probably took me a while to notice.) After 4 months, when I ate wheat one weekend all those symptoms came back--picture light bulb going off above head. :-)) – Nance Oct 24 2011 at 17:49

Lauren · Answer 1 · 2011-08-25 01:52:17Z UTC

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My allergies have improved dramatically since I started eating Paleo 1.5 years ago. I no longer take allergy meds and have only had one head cold (or allergy attack, I could never tell before) since December!

answered Aug 25 2011 at 1:52

Lauren
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Scrubjay · Answer 2 · 2011-08-25 01:59:16Z UTC

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Cure = debatable word.

But N=1, yes. I had horrible allergies and sinus problems for years, but after going paleo/primal/ancestral/ whatever I no longer suffered like I had previously. The symptoms described in the article are due to inflammation, no? Reduce the inflammation = less/ no symptoms.

However, re: the article -- the authors don't include pollution factors -- my reading tells me it was not only pollens I was reacting to, but environmental pollution. I still experienced some symptoms when I was living not only in a high-pollen, Santa-Ana winds area (Riverside, Ca), but a high-pollution factor area. But I was not fully paleo/ etc then. Since I have moved out of state to a almost zero-pollution area, I have experienced no symptoms at all. Hoped this helped to answer your question.

answered Aug 25 2011 at 1:59

Scrubjay
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ooops - meant to include: I'm not sure if it's due to "plants that we did not evolved to be around." Depends on how much time we're talking. If you look at plant species across the continents, you'll see a correlation of adapted genuses/ species after supercontinents broke up (i.e., many common plants in U.S. common w/ Asia, esp. Japan) Would we not adapt to these? Not sure. At any rate, that's why I think it's important to consider the co-culprit of pollution. – Scrubjay Aug 25 2011 at 2:07

Santa Ana winds can be rough indeed... – Alchemille Aug 25 2011 at 2:13

@Alch - yes, indeed. I think it was not just the pollen the winds blew around, but pollution elements, as well. Bleh. Not missing them at all. – Scrubjay Aug 25 2011 at 2:42

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Yeah, Im much better since leaving the smog of Los Angeles. It is cut in half since moving to the Bay Area. When I sleep if I have a fan in my face I can breath. Stale air = almost instant congestion. – Geoff Aug 25 2011 at 2:51

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@ Geoff, me, too; me too; me, too. However, I often jones for SoCal Mexican food...my only cravings. Good thing I'm not there, now, yah? :-D – Scrubjay Aug 25 2011 at 3:12

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Seiji · Answer 3 · 2011-08-25 03:14:48Z UTC

My allergies used to be so bad that I’d spend about half the year hacking up mucus. Since going paleo, I NEVER have allergy symptoms unless I go off the diet for more than a couple meals or if I drink too much alcohol. And even if I do one of those things, as long as I go back to paleo my symptoms clear up almost immediately.

Dragonfly · Answer 4 · 2011-08-26 03:32:45Z UTC

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Getting my Vitamin D on the high end of sufficiency (~80 ng/ml) made all the difference in the world to both my inhaled allergies and my food intolerances.

answered Aug 26 2011 at 3:32

Dragonfly
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Alchemille · Answer 5 · 2011-08-25 01:52:20Z UTC

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Is yours pollen related or caused by a food allergen? I am allergic to casein (which I didn't know til a few months ago) and I find that since cutting off dairy (even the raw stuff) my sinuses are clear and I'm rarely bothered. Often sinus congestion is caused by unhealthy intestines and/or liver and the toxins find their way to the sinuses and/or lungs as the body is trying to expel them. Dandelion root tea always seems to help with that: it cleans your liver and clears your sinuses. Nettle leaf tea is also very good (and nutritious) preventatively and throughout the pollen season (I personally enjoy it pretty much all year round ;) ). Hope this helps...

answered Aug 25 2011 at 1:52

Alchemille
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	Good points. I was focusing on pollution, but have also had reactions to casein (not full-blown, but enough to make me congested and trigger sinus inflammation.) – Scrubjay Aug 25 2011 at 2:58
	I think mine is caused by bad air. This can range from air pollution (when I lived in LA) to dust. I am much better now that I am Paleo but about 40% of it remains. Maybe something is left in my diet which my body doesnt like. I already also dropped eggs, dairy and nightshades. Also, be careful with the stinging nettle, it can back the system up :-) – Geoff Aug 25 2011 at 5:33
	Scrubjay I have the same problem with casein. Since I've done some gut healing, I can have butter and (raw) cream which are low in casein. Once in a while (I don't want to overdo it) a bit of raw cheese (look for cultures and animal rennet NOT enzymes which are supposed to make the cheese age faster and I get a reaction from enzyme cheese). Geoff, I had the same diet though I am not able to enjoy duck eggs (this too I don't want to overdo). – Alchemille Aug 28 2011 at 7:38

Allergic Rhinitis

5 Answers