What is the so-called 'winter effect'?
Danger for pollen allergy sufferers outside the pollen season
Many allergy sufferers report an increase in their allergies from one season to the next. They find that they develop additional pollen allergies, cross allergies or food allergies. Some people report that their allergic rhinitis has progressed to allergic asthma. Conventional medicine is able to provide only treatment of the symptoms or specific immunotherapy.
Pollen allergy sufferers are at risk even outside the pollen season
Specific immunotherapy offers a short term relief for pollen allergy sufferers, but there is a solution which is much more sustainable.
The diagram below illustrates the sequence of events that occur when the winter effect takes place: (1) killer enzymes are consumed in the food; (2) after 5 days an unknown trigger causes the opening of the tight junctions (3); now not only pollen components but also other impurities and potential allergens can pass through the tight junctions (4) thus penetrating the skin and entering the body. A reaction by the immune system (5) now occurs and potentially new, unknown reactions in the body (6). If, on the following days, no more killer enzymes are consumed then the degradation of the enzymes takes place one day after the immune reaction (7).
This seems to be the mechanism by which the range of allergies increases in allergic individuals, resulting in additional allergies, cross allergies, food allergies and allergic asthma - the so-called "allergic march".
Tight junctions are the crucial factor for the allergic person.
Please use the glossary for an explanation of terms such as killer enzymes and tight junctions. To fully understand these terms, and your allergies, we recommend you read the book "Allergies - The Real Causes" where you will find a full description of the mechanisms and causes of allergies.
