Seasonal Allergies and Liver Health

Hi, this is Rita Hogan and welcome to the Dogs are Individuals podcast. I'm a clinical canine herbalist and I've been practicing for over 20 years. This podcast is all about your dog through an herbal lens. So let's get to it and dive right in.

Hi everyone, this is Rita Hogan and today, unfortunately, I am going to be most likely sounding like a frog underwater. So I am on the east coast and I have some what I would.

Probably describe as seasonal allergies.

And we're gonna talk about that today. Cause it's very relevant and I've got.

Lots to say about it.

But first I want to say thank you to our new sponsor. So our new sponsor is dear to my heart and it is the Pug and Hound in Geneva, Illinois. And the great thing about them is that they will ship nationwide.

Okay.

They might even ship out of the country. I'm not positive I'll get the juice on that. But yeah, they're in Geneva, Geneva, Illinois and they are an extremely special pet shop. One of the best I've ever been in. Their phone number is 630-465-0727 and their website is pug and hound.

Okay.

Pugandhound.com that's pug, p u g and hound.com and it is run by Jeff and Krista Fox. And it's a naturally minded kind of one stop resource for pet owners. Definitely seeking a more organic approach to pets and health. And we can get behind that here at Dogs are Individuals.

And Krista is a veterinary vet tech.

And they have vet techs on staff and they're working with a vet right.

Now that's on staff.

They offer expert support definitely, along with, you know, personalized consulting and high quality supplements, treats, holistic wellness products.

And so if you are local to.

Geneva or around Geneva, you can see their holistic veterinarian on site.

You can also buy frozen food.

But anything that they can ship, they do ship. And one of the products that I love that they carry, I used to carry it in my store. I don't carry it anymore. I lost my distributorship. It went too big for my little small, small store. But it's Madoricide and it's a really good flea and tick spray. I love Madoricide and they carry it there. I was just there and I saw that they carried it. So check them out. Pugandhound.com and they also have a really great little flea mitt that you can run through your dog's fur. It might be a flea and tick mitt, but you can run it through your dog's fur and it picks up them if they haven't attached yet.

I love that.

So thank you, thank you, thank you for Pug and Hound to Be the Dogs Are Individuals podcast's new sponsor. So thank you, Christa. Thank you, Jeff. Awesome. You can also find them at Pug and Hound Pet Apothecary on Facebook and Instagram. Another thanks goes out to our longtime sponsor, Real Mushrooms and Green Juju. Both of you guys are so awesome. They sponsor my book tour as well. I can't thank you enough. And remember, without sponsors, I would not be here on this lovely free podcast. So show them some love. Greenjuju.com, realmushrooms.com I carry green Juju products in my store. I know Krista at Pug and Hound carries products in her store. I believe she also carries real mushrooms in her store. I carry them in my store. I am super excited about Green Juju's new probiotic line. This is the leaf, the soil and the farm. I am so excited about it. I'm waiting for my digestive enzymes to show up at Canine Herbalists so we can get them online and start selling them. But I am going to definitely try them myself. I'm just over the moon about this new line and how it changes diversity with each batch. We're going to go over each one one of these probiotics in future episodes in detail. So I can't wait to share that with you.

Can't wait.

And for those of you that are waiting for the Daily Dog from Real Mushrooms to come back in stock, that is happening soon. Let's get back to the matter at hand and that is the podcast and talking about seasonal allergies.

So I recently went to Italy. I ate my fill of gluten and I drank wine and felt like a normal human being. It was amazing. I was ecstatic and I think I gained ten pounds. But it was worth it working on the ten pounds now, finding the joy in each pound because I can tell you right now, an amazing time. However, I think it was a bit of a shock to my system in that I, yeah, my partner and I and all the people I went on my research trip, we ate more food than I can ever imagine eating. The Italians love to have like seven course meals and a lot of times if you don't eat it, they get offended. But there was a lot of things I couldn't eat. But one thing I did is I ate bread and oil because I haven't had bread and oil in like, 15 years. So. And I also, again, I drank red wine, like, maybe two to three glasses a day when I don't drink at all. It was definitely a change. If I, you know, when I go back, I'll definitely be more in moderation. But I was like a kid that had been unleashed and in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. It was insane, but super fun, full of joy, loved it. Shock to my system. I don't think my liver was very happy with me. I did go see a miraculous doctor when I was there for my health. I heard about him, and I wanted to see him. And he did say that I had some heat in my liver, and he put me on a protocol starting June 1st. So I came back here, went to Florida for Judy Morgan's event, which was just phenomenal. I mean, really phenomenal, guys. And then came to my friends in New Haven, where I'm recording this right now. I'm about to leave in a couple days, but recording this in New Haven, Connecticut, in a little town called Bransford. And for the last week, I have been suffering with some type of pollen allergy. Now, I have never had a pollen allergy in my life that I know of. And I'm going to cough and do all the things I'm sure in my podcast here. No wonder I got the pollen allergy, because I have heat in my liver. And I'm sure my liver decided, like, what are you doing, Rita? Why are you acting this way? You're acting like you're 20 years old in Italy. And I totally did. And so it's June 2nd, and I. Or no, it's June 3rd. And when I'm recording this and I am on my protocol, but it has been, like, nasty, gross coughing, snotting, itchy roof of your mouth, itchy throat, not sleeping well, the whole gamut. And no, I'm not taking Zyrtec or Benadryl. I'm gonna tough it out. And I have been drinking gallons of nettles, and it's been helping so much, but I want to. This brings up seasonal allergies, Right? Let's talk about seasonal allergies and the. You know, I'm giving myself this my own conversation, but I know so many people say, oh, my God, what about seasonal allergies? What about seasonal allergies? What's going on with my dog and their seasonal allergies? So let's talk about what's going on in the body, because it's definitely going on in my body right now, and seasonal allergies are not like simply the result of an exposure to an environmental antigen, like pollen. Like now my car was covered in it when I went to get in my car yesterday. You can also include mold and grass in that. But it's the expression of allergy symptoms. You know, that expression is directly influenced by the internal terrain of your dog or yourself. And particularly the health and function of the liver and the lymph. The health and function of the liver, not the liver, but the liver and the lymph.

Right.

Those are two essential detoxification. Immune modulating systems. And why does everyone like mushrooms? Everyone likes mushrooms because it modulates the immune system.

That's one of the reasons why I.

Like phytoembryonic therapy too. And right now I'm modulating my immune system so that I get over this. Because one of the practitioners here said that it could be weeks. Lady, I don't got weeks, okay? I am not dealing with this for weeks. So let's get into it. And I have no one to blame but myself, but it is a great learning lesson for all of us. So when the liver and lymphatics are overburdened or under functioning, like mine, from too much bliss in Italy, the body is unable to process and eliminate histamine and inflammatory compounds very well.

Right?

Which would be pollen. And that leads to a heightened sensitivity, inflammation, and your, you know, that classical seasonal allergy symptoms. And with dogs, it can be itching, biting, scratching, runny nose, things like that. So let's look at the liver. Cause the liver is, I would say it's definitely the master regulator of histamine and inflammation. All right? And it helps break down histamine. So the liver plays a key role in breaking down histamine, which is the main kind of chemical responsible for that itching, biting, scratching, the swelling, and in my case, the exorbitant amount of mucus production.

Okay?

And that's during an allergic reaction. Our body is covered in mucus on the inside of the terrain, but when.

It gets out of hand, you get.

All of this mucus in your face. And I can't stand mucus in my face. So histamine is cleared by a couple of things. One DAO diamine oxidase.

Okay.

And that's mostly produced in the small intestine, but it also relies on liver derivatives. And Those are copper, B6 and vitamin C. Okay. Your dog needs good vitamin C. And yes, I add vitamin C to my dog's diets. They do produce their own, but in my opinion, not enough to deal with the onslaught of things that are happening to them in today's society. Vitamin B6 and copper. Now, I think many dogs are getting enough copper, but we want organic, bioavailable copper, which can be found in foods, and then histamine N methyltransferase, which is hnmt. And I think I should get some props for that pronunciation, because we all know that I annihilate things. Yeah. So I did that flawlessly, by the way. Okay, so HNMT is located in the liver and the central nervous system, and it's responsible for histamine clearance in the terrain, in the tissues. So when the liver function in your dog, or in Rita Hogan is impaired, histamine clearance slows down, and that results in this histamine overload. And that's one of, I would say, the core drivers of seasonal allergy symptoms, which I am experiencing right now.

Right.

I'm experiencing it right now. Never been to the east coast during spring.

Hello.

And again, right after my debauchery in Italy. So let's talk about detoxification phases. So the liver metabolizes allergens and toxins through two phases. And I talk about this in my dog, the herbal dog. And if you haven't picked up a copy of my herbal dog book, you need to question reality, okay? You need to question, like, why have an eye anywhere? Books are sold. Pull over to the Barnes and Noble. Go in, grab a copy. Now, I've been signing copies of My Dog, My Dog.

Sorry, My Book, My Dog book, all.

Across the country on my tour. So I've been signing them at random, Barnes and Noble. So you could go see if my signature one with the little sticker is on the shelf at your local Barnes and Noble. Okay? Back to the liver. So phase one, detoxification, okay? That modifies liver things, the substances that are going through the liver through a process of oxidation and reduction, okay? And that is done by the cytochrome P450 pathway and the enzymes found there. And it produces reactive compounds that have to be rapidly neutralized, or you can feel sick and you can feel taxed, lethargic and icky. Phase two, detoxification is what's responsible for neutralizing these things, okay? And that happens through a process called methylation and sulfonation, which we're not gonna get into sulfonation and methylation today, but glutathione as well. Now, you need good glutathione levels to have a healthy liver. Now, if phase two is sluggish, which in my case, I know it is, these Chemicals remain in circulation and they poke the bear.

Right.

And they cause further immune reactions. And that includes mast cell sensitization, which releases more histamine than you want it to. Okay, we're poking the bear, and every time we poke it, histamine comes out. So we have to look at detoxification.

Phases, and we have to support the.

Liver through those detoxification phases. And how to do that is in my book. It's also in a podcast, I think. I did two podcasts on phase one and phase two detoxification, so you can check those out. Bile flow. Bile flow is critical for clearing fat soluble toxins. Now, I myself do not have a gallbladder. I lost it in my early 20s. Yep, it's true. I didn't know then what I know now. I wouldn't have gotten rid of my gallbladder. I would have dealt with the pain and gotten my gallbladder cleaned out, but that didn't happen. So I have to take bile salts when I eat, which I do. My liver is compensating for bile flow, but I do help it along with digestive enzymes. And bile is crucial for clearing fat soluble toxins, like I said, and excess estrogen and allergenic metabolites. That's a big word, but it's basically allergens.

Okay.

And poor bile flow leads to the recirculation of histamine and histamine like compounds.

Okay.

Those inflammatory compounds that I was talking about. And they directly affect the gut immune function, and when they negatively affect the gut immune function, it increases your overall reactivity to seasonal triggers. So I'm thinking, in fact, I would put a lot of money on it, that if I hadn't went to Italy and participated in debauchery of eating gluten and croissants and cappuccino di caffinatos and the whole thing, I most likely would not be having these seasonal triggers right now. So. But again, worth every moment. The lymphatic system. So that's our second piece of the puzzle that deals with immune drainage and allergy modulation. I love things that modulate in a positive way. So the lymphatic is a immune surveillance system. I talk about it in nauseum on other episodes of this podcast and also in my book. But the lymphatic system collects and filters waste, right? It feeds nutrition, especially vitamin D, which is responsible for a healthy body. Systemically, it helps get rid of cellular debris, all of those little nasties, histamines, cytokines, and antigens from the terrain. And mucosal linings. These are delivered via our lovely dog's lymph nodes.

Okay?

And the lymph nodes is where kind of this immune tolerance and. Or the activation of the immune system is determined.

Okay.

And if the lymph system is stagnant, which, you know, I talk about this all the time, Inflammatory compounds linger in the tissues longer.

Okay?

So one of the things that I.

Did before I started developing these pollen allergies is I lifted something that was way too heavy when I got here and hurt my back for about four days. And I had to sit around and lay around and sleep too much and rest my back.

Right?

So my lymphatic system was not moving around. I think that also contributed to the perfect storm of being reactive, because the lymph system, when it's stagnant, it causes tissue swelling and puffiness and itchiness. Chronic itching is always a stagnant lymphatic system. It's always a contributor. Respiratory congestion and heightened histamine response, what's known as an allergy response. Allergy reactivity. Okay, So a sedentary lifestyle can definitely contribute to low lymphatic function. Being dehydrated.

Right.

While sleeping, I was not drinking. Liver congestion. We already know. I had that nailed down. High allergenic load, especially in the spring. That's definitely what's going on here right now. Literally, guys, my. My car was coated in yellow. I'm just hoping you're seeing the connections.

That I'm making here.

And gut dysbiosis and poor digestion.

Right?

Bad gut. And, no, my gut has not been the best for the last couple weeks. So stagnation interrupts immune function and modulation. It increases mast cell activity, and it really sets the stage for allergic responses and symptoms, basically. Okay, so the liver and the lymphatic system are interdependent. So the liver and lymphatics form this, like, I would call it an integrated detox system. So when either is impaired, the other one takes a hit. So liver congestion, when it's not breaking down, all of those metabolites and different types of contributory chemicals, it leads to a toxin spillover into the lymphatic tissues. And then lymphatic stagnation reduces hepatic lymph drainage. So lymphatic drainage in the liver, that's all that means. And that contributes to liver inflammation and reducing detoxification efficiency and immune modulation. And then poor bile flow, which is caused by both liver congestion and lymphatic stimulation, affects intestinal lymph and intestinal lymph is where a large percentage of the immune system resides. We know that over 80% of the immune system is in the gut. And this just creates this domino effect and this cycle of sickness and terrain inflammation. I'm all about terrain and terrain inflammation. And that's going to drive chronic seasonal, seasonal allergy expression. Right? Your dog is going to express seasonal allergies when in fact it is stagnant lymph, bile and liver, which affects the immune system. Everything's connected. Everything is, is connected, guys. Everything, guys and gals. So what do we do about it? What do we do about it? Well, I am on a protocol to help heat my liver, my lymphatic system, my nervous system and the whole kit and caboodle. So I'm getting better every day. I am drinking gallons of nettle tea. Right after this, I'm going to have another nettle tea. So nettle is very good at modulating the immune system. So we can look at things like milk thistle, dandelion root, burdock root. You know, dandelion root is very cooling and drying. Burdock root is also cooling initially moistening, but very good at supporting both the liver and the lymph and kind of that allergic, responsive terrain. Milk thistle is more on the neutral to slightly warming. Almost any dog can have it. It increases glutathione, it supports histamine metabolism and it protects the liver.

Okay.

And then we have things like artichoke leaf and schisandra berry. If your dog is more on the warm side or the cool side, I would give nettles, milk thistle, schisandra berry, and probably some turmeric. And calendula, those are great things for your dog if they're having histamine issues or allergic responses. Calendula is for the liver. And then you could add in some turkey tail or reishi mushroom, excellent at histamine if your dog is more warm. Some chaga mushroom. But lymphatic herbs, you got cleavers, violet, red clover. Now those are all going to be cooling. And calendula.

Okay.

Calendula. I love calendula for cool dogs.

Okay.

And then we have, you know, I'm just gonna say anti allergy herbs, even though what they do is they modulate the histamine and immune response and they work with the liver and the lymphatics, the kidneys, the gut. Nettle leaf just talked about it. Urtica, diocea, urtica orens natural antihistamine, stabilizes mast cells, contains quercetin, vitamin C, it supports good DAO and HNMT and it helps get the kidneys flowing. It's a mild diuretic. It supports lymphatic movement. So if your dog pees more, that's why quercetin, you can use it as a supplement. You can also use things like elderflower, ginkgo, plantain. Helps with the allergic response. Those herbs are great. Elderflower is Sambucus nigra, gingko, bibola, plantain, plantalgo major. Love, love, love that those are good. And then things like Bacall skullcap, Scolateria baclodensis. It's cooling it down, regulates IGE response and stabilizes mast cells. If your dog is warm it up with some ginger, you can add licorice root which supports the adrenals. Licorice root also supports what's called mucosal immunity and it helps control inflammation. And then there's also things that you wouldn't normally think of as anti allergy and one of them is a cooling remedy called eye bright. And it's lovely for allergies. Watery, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, those things. And then we have, you know, let's look of course to things that modulate the terrain that we can feed our dogs. You know, leafy greens, arugula, beet greens, green juju, freeze dried greens, chlorella spirulina. You know, different things that are high in chlorophyll. They help the liver and move the lymph. Raw beets and carrots, they support bio flow. Broccoli, Broccoli sprouts, broccolini, cauliflower, cabbage. Broccoli is cooling, cabbage is warming. Cauliflower is pretty neutral to cooling. They stimulate phase two liver pathways. You see how all of this is connected. And again, chlorophyll rich foods, love it. Parsley, anything dark green helps bind toxins, bind histamine supports like what's called bile mediated clearances. And that's the whole, you know, I try not to use those big sentences for you. However, that's basically saying it's going to help more bile flow to the gastrointestinal tract from the liver to help clear these things to work with the lymphatic end flow. So and you know, bone broth with herbs. Now, bone broth is high in histamine. So if your dog has not allergies, right. But if they are essentially histamine intolerant and have a lot of histamine issues, don't use bone broth. Okay? But if they're just having seasonal allergies that doesn't mean they're histamine intolerant. So nettles, burdock root, calendula. Those are all in there. I formulated an allergy formula for Fido's bone broth, who is a supporter of my podcast and through my being a supporter of my book tour, they are.

One of my sponsors, along with Dr.

Ruth Roberts, Earth Buddy, Innovative Pet Lab, Coco Therapy. I love all these people. Goodness gracious.

All sponsors of my book tour.

And again, podcasts wouldn't be here, and neither would this lovely microphone that I.

Am using for my book tour to bring you this podcast while I'm on the road.

Organic apples.

Okay?

And make sure they're organic berries. Elderberries, blueberries, raspberries, kale, spinach. Organic kale and spinach only.

Okay.

Organic kale and spinach only. And then for your cool dogs, spinach and kale are both warming. Turmeric, ginger, basil. Holy basil. These are all things that can help with the liver and the lymph.

Right?

Use my book, the Herbal Dog, to really get down. Read the lymph section, read the liver section, read the allergy section, and you will have all the answers you need there. But I wanted to talk about all of these kind of, you know, connections and have you understand what is really happening when your dog is reacting every season. Okay. Liver lymphatics support the gallbladder, also the kidneys. But most of the things that support.

The lymphatics, support the kidneys, support the liver.

Okay?

So some of these things they go over.

Like Calendula supports the liver, it supports the lymphatics. Nettles support the entire system. Kidneys, liver lymphatics. So seasonal allergies are just symptoms of terrain imbalance. I definitely have a terrain imbalance right now. I'm working hard on it. I feel like I'm getting better every day, stronger every day. And of course, I'm not involving myself in debauchery of gluten and red wine anymore. So that's good. And inadequate detoxification, poor drainage, heightened histamine retention. These are all things that are going on in my body right now and can be going on in your dog's body or your body if you are. If you have seasonal allergies, don't resort to the Zyrtecs and the Benadryls. They make it worse. Supporting liver detoxification pathways and lymphatic movement really changes how the immune system interacts with the environment.

Okay?

That's what you need to do. So with good herbal support and dietary support. You can reduce histamine load, stabilize mast cells and rebalance the immune system and the immune system response. And don't forget about our mushroom friends that are very good at modulating the immune system and you can learn all about that in my dog book, the Herbal Dog anywhere you buy books.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Dogs Are Individuals. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in your podcast app. And don't forget, sharing is caring. So if you love Dogs Are Individuals podcast, share it with your friends and family who love dogs. This will help me so much. And remember, as a listener, I appreciate you much. Thanks to Resonant Media, my podcast production team. This podcast is produced by Drake Peterson and edited by Mike Fry. Any questions, email the show, go to K9 or click Podcast Contact in the menu and then fill out that form and I'll answer any questions here online. Okay, so thank you so much for listening to this episode of Dogs Are Individuals Podcast and I'm going to talk to you in our next episode. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for veterinary care. This podcast doesn't constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor, veterinarian or healthcare provider first before starting anything new and that includes herbs. I'm not a doctor and I don't treat disease or prescribe anything. I'm a traditional herbalist providing herbal support education only. Regarding any products I may suggest the statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here on the podcast is not meant as a substitute or alternative to information from your vet. Please consult your veterinary professional about potential interactions or other possible complications modifications before using any product.