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LatestNews Th1/Th2Balance:ANaturalTherapeuticApproach
WellnessCenter
ToTh2PolarizationInAllergy
Children'sAndTeen's Th1/Th2Balance:ANaturalTherapeuticApproachToTh2PolarizationIn
Health
Fitness
Allergy
HealthAtWork
ASummary
MentalHealth
Nutrition ByTomSult,M.D.
Seniors'Health
Allergicrespiratorydiseaseshaveincreasedinprevalenceandseverityoverthepast30yearsin
Women'sHealth
allindustrializedcountries.Theoccurrenceofallergicrhinitis(hayfever)alonehasincreased
Men'sHealth substantiallyoverthepast15years,accountingforapproximately16.7millionofficevisitsto
HealthyKitchen healthcareproviderseachyear.Allergiesarealsoasignificanttriggerofasthma.Accordingtothe
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,moreAmericansthaneverbefore(over15million)
Conditions sufferfromasthma,transformingwhatwasarelativelyinconspicuousailmentintoanepidemic
FunctionalMedicine illnessofsignificantpublichealthconcern.Recently,theroleofThelper(Th)cellsinthe
developmentofallergicdiseasehasbeendescribed.

THESIGNIFICANCEOFTHELPERCELLS
Thcellsaretheregulatorsoftheimmunesystem.Afterstimulationbyanyantigen(e.g.,allergen,
pathogen)thathasenteredthebody,ThcellscandevelopintoeitherTh1orTh2cellsthattrigger
differentimmuneprocesses,whichprotectthebodyindifferentways.WhetherThcellsdevelop
intoTh1orTh2cellsisdependentonavarietyoffactorsincludingthetypeofantigen,genetics,
certainregulatoryproteins(cytokines),andotherfactors.Researchershavefoundthat
imbalancedTh1/Th2immuneresponsesarelinkedtocertainimmunerelateddisorders.For
instance,aTh1dominatedimmuneresponsehasbeenimplicatedinorganspecificautoimmune
disease(e.g.,type1diabetes,thyroiditis)whileaTh2dominatedimmuneresponsecanleadto
allergicdisordersandsystemicautoimmunedisease(e.g.,lupus).Suchimbalancedimmune
activitycanbecausedbyanumberofthingsincludinggeneticsandenvironmentalfactors.

TARGETSFORTREATMENT:TH1/TH2BALANCEANDDOWNSTREAMPROCESSES
BecausethosewithanoveractiveTh2responseareoftenafflictedwithallergicdisease,thegoal
ofallergytreatmentshouldaddressdownregulatingtheTh2responseand/orupregulatingthe
Th1responsetoproduceabalance.InadditiontobalancingTh1andTh2,treatmentstrategies
shouldalsoaddressdownstreamprocessesincludingIgEproduction,histaminerelease,
inflammation,andoxidativestress.

IgEProduction?IgEisatypeofantibodythat,despiteofferingprotectionagainstcertain
pathogens,isresponsiblefordrivinghypersensitivityreactionssuchashayfever,asthma,hives,
andanaphylaxis.

HistamineRelease?Histamineisreleasedduringanallergicreactionanditperpetuatesallergic
inflammationandtheTh2response.

InflammatoryCompoundProduction?Leukotrienesandprostaglandinsareinflammatory
mediatorsinvolvedintheallergicprocess.Theycancausesymptomssuchasconstrictionofthe
lungpassagewaysandbloodvesselsandtissueswelling.

OxidativeStress?Lowantioxidantlevelsareassociatedwithallergiesandasthma.Inaddition,
inflammatorycellsinvolvedintheallergicprocessreleaseharmfulfreeradicals.

NATURALSUBSTANCESFORTHETREATMENTOFALLERGICDISORDERS
Researchsuggeststhatthefollowingnaturalcompoundshavetheabilitytomodulatetheallergic
responsetherebyofferinganexcellentalternativetoconventionaltherapieswhosechronicuseis
oftenaccompaniedbyseveralsideeffects.

PerillaSeedExtract?Perillaseedextract(Perillafrutescens)haslongbeenusedinTraditional
ChineseMedicine(TCM)andinKampo?aJapanesevariantofTCM.Itiscapableofmodulating
multipleprocessesintheallergicresponse,includinghistaminerelease,leukotrienesynthesis,
andoxidativestress.Inaddition,preliminaryresearchperformedinJapansuggeststhatperilla
seedextractmaysuppressTh2responses.
Omega3FattyAcids?Theincreasedprevalenceofatopicdiseasehasrecentlybeenassociated
withtheoverconsumptionofomega6fattyacidsinrelationtoomega3fattyacids?anunhealthy
imbalancecommonintheWesterndiet.Researchsuggeststhatabalancedintakeofthesefatty
acidsmayhaveapowerful,positiveeffectincertainpatientswithallergicdisorders.

VitaminE?ResearchsuggeststhatvitaminEmayprotectagainstallergiesandallergicdisease
notonlybyreducingtheassociatedfreeradicaldamage,butalsobyinfluencingTh2type
cytokineexpression,IgElevels,andinflammatorycompoundproduction.

Probiotics?"Friendly"bacteriasuchasLactobacillusacidophilusandBifidobacteriamayhelp
alleviateallergicinflammationandshiftTh2dominatedimmuneresponses,therebyreducing
allergicsymptoms.

Adaptogens?Adaptogenicherbssuchascordyceps(Cordycepssinensis),ashwagandha
(Withaniasomnifera),andAsianginseng(Panaxginseng)mayreducethenegativeeffectsof
acuteorchronicstress.ResearchsuggeststhatstressmaypromoteanincreasedTh2response,
thusescalatingsusceptibilitytoallergicdisorders.

VitaminCandFlavonoids?Flavonoidspossessantiallergic,antiinflammatory,antiviral,and
antioxidantactivity.Inaddition,flavonoidshavebeenshowntoinhibitthereleaseofhistamine.
Similartoflavonoids,datafromanimalandhumanstudieshaveshownthatvitaminC
supplementationresultsinreducedhistaminereleaseandimprovedlungfunction.

Turmeric,Ginger,andBoswellia?Turmeric(Curcumalonga),ginger(Zingiberofficinale),and
boswellia(Boswelliaserrata)arepopularherbsusedwithinAyurveda?anEastIndiansystemof
medicine.Theseherbshavebeenshowntoinhibittheproductionofinflammatorycompounds
involvedinanallergicresponse.

XinQinKeLi?ThistraditionalblendofChineseherbsincludingastragalus(Astragalus
membranaceus),Chineseskullcap(Scutellariabaicalensis),schizonepeta(Schizonepeta
tenuifolia),fragrantangelica(Angelicadahurica),atractylodes(Atractylodesmacrocephala),and
otherherbssupportsWeich'i?saidtobethebody's"protectiveshield."Thisformulaisprimarily
usedinChinatotreatcolds,allergicrhinitis,acuteandchronicrhinitis,nasosinusitis,andother
sinusandnoseailments.

CONCLUSION
Astheincidenceandsufferingassociatedwithallergicdisorderscontinuetogrow,sodoesthe
knowledgeregardingitspreventionandtreatment.ByaddressingTh1/Th2imbalanceand
associatedprocesses,naturaltherapiesmaybringlastingrelieftopatients.

AdvancedNutritionPublications2002