Dr. Paul Deglmann
Meghan Feir Walker
The beauty of autumn is a sight to behold. Bonfires, pumpkins, sweater weather, and cooler evenings make it so much easier to say goodbye to summer.
While it’s easy to see why people love the fall, it’s not all sugar, pumpkin spice, and everything nice. Fall is also a time for major allergens to rear their ugly heads.
Every year, millions of Americans are plagued by seasonal fall allergies. If ragweed sends you spiraling or mold brings you misery, read on to learn what you can do to combat seasonal fall allergies so you can enjoy this crisp and beautiful time of the year.
Key Takeaways:
- Fall seasonal allergies are commonly triggered by ragweed, mold, and dust mites, causing symptoms like sneezing and congestion.
- Identifying allergy triggers through testing can help guide a more personalized approach to seasonal allergy support.
- Underlying factors such as food sensitivities, gut health, mold exposure, and nutrient status may influence immune responses.
- Reducing allergen exposure and supporting healthy histamine balance may help improve seasonal allergy symptoms.
Symptoms of fall seasonal allergies
No matter what season it is, allergies are never enjoyable. Some of the most common symptoms of seasonal fall allergies include:
- Itchy eyes, nose, and/or throat
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Congestion
- Coughing
- Post-nasal drip
- Fatigue
- Watery eyes
- Dark circles under the eyes
The top 5 causes of fall seasonal allergies
Why is it that some people get allergies so aggressively, some get mild allergy symptoms, and others don’t have them at all? If you’re experiencing allergies, it’s important to ask why your immune system is being triggered in the first place.
There are several reasons why allergic reactions and intensity vary so greatly. Here are the top five causes of seasonal allergies:
- Food allergies and sensitivities
- Mold exposure
- Leaky gut
- Imbalance of microbiome (dysbiosis)
- Nutritional deficiencies
Food allergies/sensitivities
One of the most common underlying causes of experiencing seasonal allergies is existing food sensitivities and allergies. Many people have food allergies or sensitivities without realizing it and continue eating the triggering foods regularly. If you’re sensitive or allergic to certain foods and continue eating them (or consume them by accident), your immune system prioritizes fighting against those foods.
This overactive immune response is your immune system trying to protect you. When you react to these foods, your body easily becomes overburdened from environmental antigens that are at a higher concentration in the spring, summer, and fall. These antigens can be from things like pollen, ragweed, certain grasses, dust, mold, or trees. When you encounter these triggers, your body becomes overwhelmed, and your immune system can’t deal with the extra offenders. That’s when you start to experience symptoms.
Mold exposure
While mold found outside can cause allergies to flare, one of the major causes of experiencing seasonal allergies in the first place is indoor mold. Indoor mold is more concerning because it comes from water-damaged material inside homes that can create mycotoxins. Breathing in mycotoxins suppresses your immune system and makes you more vulnerable to things like seasonal allergies.
Indoor mold is the result of too much moisture in your home. That can be caused by water damage from flooded basements, water leaks/intrusions, roof damage from something like an ice dam or a storm, etc. Water can infiltrate your home when the grade of your house flows toward it instead of away. Mold can also easily grow in poorly insulated homes and areas where there is high humidity and little sunlight. To learn more about the impact of indoor mold, click here to read the article and click here to watch the video.
Leaky gut
The term “Leaky gut” is used to describe a compromised gut barrier. It describes when the barrier system of the gut begins to break down. This breakdown is problematic because the barrier prevents unwanted foreign substances (antigens) from getting through the barrier and into your bloodstream. These foreign substances can be undigested food proteins, bacteria/microbes, or toxins.
Your immune system becomes overactive and overburdened. Once again, your immune system is prioritizing whatever it thinks it needs to fight and tries to protect you by prioritizing the battle against a particular offender. This leads to an easily overburdened body when met with environmental problems on top of the existing issue.
Microbiome problems
Studies have shown that people with seasonal allergies have a more imbalanced microbiome, also known as dysbiosis.
The microbiome of your gut is a complex community of microorganisms, and there must be a healthy balance among the many different types of organisms. You don’t want too much of one type of bacteria, especially ones that create inflammation, like gram-negative bacteria, parasites, fungus, yeast, and viruses. This is why probiotics are so often used to help rebalance the diversity of bacteria in the gut.
You want to have a consistent input of prebiotics (fiber, polyphenols) that increase the beneficial bacteria and short-chain fatty acids to create a robust microbiome and restore balance in the gut. This can help you regulate your immune response so you can have a more accurate reaction (or lack thereof) to food, environmental factors, and more. If your microbiome is imbalanced, you will have more of a reactive immune response.
Nutritional deficiencies
Nutritional deficiencies can cause your immune system to act inappropriately. The nutrient deficiencies we often see and focus on the most in relation to seasonal allergies are things like zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin A.
Fall seasonal allergies vs. a cold: how to tell the difference
Fall allergies and the common cold can share many of the same symptoms, making it difficult to know what's causing your congestion, sneezing, or fatigue. The table below highlights some of the most common differences.
| Seasonal Allergies | Common Cold |
| Itchy eyes, nose, or throat are common | Itching is uncommon |
| Mucus is usually clear and watery | Mucus may become thick or discolored |
| Symptoms may last for weeks or months | Symptoms typically improve within 7-10 days |
| Symptoms often return around the same time each year | No seasonal pattern |
| Symptoms may worsen on high pollen days or after outdoor exposure | Symptoms are not usually affected by pollen exposure |
| Fever is uncommon | Fever may occur |
| Body aches are uncommon | Body aches are more common |
One of the biggest clues is how long your symptoms last. If your symptoms return every fall, worsen during peak allergy season, or improve when allergen exposure is reduced, seasonal allergies may be a contributing factor.
How to Reduce Exposure to Fall Allergens
The most common route of helping allergies is to just take rounds of antihistamines, decongestants, steroids, and immunotherapy for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, this route doesn’t get to the root cause of your problems and can lead to other symptoms with long-term use.
While antihistamines can be very helpful and necessary to relieve allergy symptoms, especially when serious, there are better long-term solutions for figuring out the cause of why your body is responding in the way it is and what your body needs to better regulate its reactions.
The best thing to do is to get with a functional medicine clinic and doctor that can order and run relevant tests. Individual testing paints a clearer picture of what’s happening in your body and gives you and your practitioner more direction for what steps should be taken. While addressing underlying factors that may influence immune health is important, reducing your exposure to common fall allergens can also help minimize symptoms.
Some of the most common fall allergy triggers include ragweed pollen, mold spores, and dust mites. Taking a few simple steps to reduce your exposure may help support a healthier immune response throughout the season.
Tips to Reduce Fall Allergen Exposure
- Monitor local pollen counts and limit outdoor activities when pollen levels are especially high.
- Keep windows and doors closed during peak allergy season to help prevent allergens from entering your home.
- Shower after spending time outdoors to remove pollen from your skin and hair.
- Change clothes after outdoor activities to avoid bringing allergens into your living space.
- Use a HEPA air purifier when appropriate to help reduce airborne allergens indoors.
- Limit exposure to damp leaves, compost piles, and moldy environments, which can be significant sources of mold spores.
- Wash bedding regularly to help reduce exposure to pollen, dust mites, and other allergens that can accumulate indoors.
- Vacuum frequently using a HEPA-filter vacuum to help remove allergens from carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture.
While these strategies may help reduce allergen exposure, they do not address why some individuals experience more severe symptoms than others. Factors such as food sensitivities, mold exposure, gut health, microbiome balance, and nutrient status may also play a role in how the immune system responds during allergy season.
Can any supplements help with fall allergies?
Whether you do testing or not to figure out the underlying causes triggering seasonal allergies in your body, there are safe supplements you can use to lower histamine levels and allergy symptoms. The supplement we recommend is NutriRestore’s Hista Guard.
Hista Guard contains a high dose of quercetin, which has been shown in research to dampen the release of histamine. Having too much histamine released in your body is usually the culprit for allergy symptoms. Once again, it’s your body trying to protect itself and overcompensating. Quercetin is one of the most effective natural antihistamines.
How to Combat Fall Seasonal Allergies
To summarize, here are some steps you can take to discover how you can reduce your seasonal fall allergy symptoms.
- Identify allergen triggers through testing.
- Get tested for food allergies/sensitivities.
- Get your house tested for mold and check your inflammation levels if you’ve seen it, smelled it, have a history of water damage, or present signs of mold illness, and other measures you’ve taken to improve your health haven’t worked.
- Ask your doctor about leaky gut and get tested to see whether this is a problem for you or not.
- Get your microbiome tested to see if microorganisms are balanced or not in your gut.
- Get tested for nutritional deficiencies to see if you’re deficient in any key nutrients that could be causing a disruption in your immune system functioning properly.
- Manage symptoms with natural antihistamines as you work on other areas in your body that are affecting how your immune system is functioning. Supplements like the high-dose quercetin found in Hista Guard can help relieve allergy symptoms and lower histamine levels.
Ready to take the next step?
If seasonal allergies continue to affect your quality of life despite your best efforts, it may be time to look beyond symptom management and explore potential underlying contributors. Factors such as food sensitivities, mold exposure, gut health imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies can influence how the immune system responds during allergy season. Our team specializes in helping individuals uncover the root causes that may be contributing to persistent health challenges.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about our personalized approach and discover whether functional health testing and targeted support may be right for you.
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