In early April, it all began. Clients came in with severe allergy symptoms. Growing up in a world of Western scientific thinking, I like to reference history and use history to predict the future. I have watched allergy season, pollen counts, and client responses for over ten years. Severe allergy symptoms happen when the pollen counts jump to high levels. But, in early April, pollen counts were low. 

As the allergy season continued, it got pretty strange. I realized some people had become much more sensitive to pollen. The reactions were sudden and extreme. These reactions could include a loss of voice, eyes swelling shut, or severe sinusitis that felt and looked like a head cold. 

How Does Our Body Fight Allergies

Our body responds to allergens through our adaptive immune system – the IgE antibodies. Antibodies are small and are on cell surfaces. IgE antibodies are on the surface of two of our white blood cells, eosinophils and basophils, both active during an allergic response.

Science doesn’t know exactly how it works, but IgE antibodies are triggered when an allergen comes in contact with the body. Then, IgE antibodies trigger our immune system to create white blood cells, like eosinophils and basophils, to fight allergens.

But what is causing your throat to constrict, eyes to swell shut, and sinuses to blow up into what feels like a head cold? Basophils. Current science thinks basophils release histamine, the chemical responsible for allergic reactions like sneezing, watery eyes, and congestion. 

How Can I Know If That Is Happening in Me?

You can monitor your eosinophil and basophil counts through a CBC blood test. When you’re at the height of your reaction, getting a blood draw will show your various white blood cell counts during an infection. Later, when your symptoms have gone away, getting another CBC blood draw will help you understand your healthy white blood cells.

Can your doctor request a CBC blood draw and have it covered by your insurance? Typically, yes, especially for the initial test when you’re feeling unwell. However, it’s not a guaranteed approval because insurance dictates what medical services are reimbursed. When you’re in good health, insurance usually covers the second test only during your annual check-up.

To empower yourself in managing your health, you have the option to request a CBC blood draw from an independent lab directly. In my region, popular choices are Quest or UltaLabs. Currently, the cost for a CBC blood test is $29.00.

Why and How You Can Use This Tool to Improve Your Health?

I’ve fully embraced the use of tools to provide valuable directional insights when diagnosing and treating clients in the clinic. Utilizing blood work enables me to pinpoint diagnoses or confirm suspicions, especially in complex cases. And currently, things are indeed complex.

The difficulty of looking at just one blood test, one point in time, is a point in time isn’t directional. If you are in a forest and want to find your way out of the forest, you need a minimum of two points. The point where you are standing is one point. By itself, it tells you nothing except you are in the forest. A second point outside of the forest creates a line and direction. Two points create direction and allow you to find your way out of the forest.

How Allergy Symptoms Have Increased Over Time

Over the past few decades, there has been a notable rise in allergies. Since 2019, the increase in allergies has been exponential. Here are two examples: children with food allergies and adults with seasonal allergies. 

Children Reporting Food Allergies in the United States

• 4.1 million children reported food allergies in 2012. 
• 6.0 million children reported food allergies in 2019. 
• 16.0 million children reported food allergies in 2021. 

Adults Reporting Hayfever/Seasonal Allergies in the United States

• 17.6 million adults in 2012.
• 19.2 million adults in 2018.
• 67.0 million adults in 2021.

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