As Summer approaches, many of us look forward to enjoying our local or private swimming pools. But for some people, pools bring on symptoms that look a lot like allergy, such as sneezing, sniffling or itching, watery eyes. Well, guess what? It just could be allergies. Allergies to swimming pools are fairly common, especially if you use the pool a lot.
Most of the time, the guilty allergen is the chlorine in the water. A person can develop an allergy to anything at all, including chlorine and other chemicals. In fact, swimmers often develop allergies due to long hours in the pool. That is not surprising if you consider that chlorine is a toxin, and that toxins are a major cause of allergies.
Chlorine can easily enter through the skin, or you can gulp it in when you get those unwanted mouthfuls of water. In heated pools, the chlorine can also be released into its more toxic gaseous form, and breathed in.
But you could also be reacting to other things. For instance, if there is any mold around the area, on the pool equipment or even inside the pool equipment, even though you don't come into direct contact with it, you could be breathing in mold spores. Mold is a particularly powerful allergen and once in your system, it can quickly cause allergies.
You may be affected by pollen from pollen producing plants (trees or grasses) near the pool or in the surrounding area. Pollen is very light and can be carried quite a distance from it source. If you see pollen on the water before you enter the pool, then you can be sure that it’s also in the air, and you’re breathing it in.
You could also be reacting to other chemicals other than chlorine. While some chemicals or substances might not affect you on their own, they can affect you when they interact with each other to create even more toxic combinations.
Keep in mind that allergy is always a sign of a stressed immune system due to toxins (eg. daily exposure to chlorine), nutrient deficiencies, emotional stress, antiobiotics, steroidal drugs etc. Once you have allergies, no matter how mild, each reaction will put additional stress on the immune system, and can lead to further or worse allergies.
Therefore, it is advisable to get your allergies treated. Nasal sprays and antihistamines might help relieve the symptoms, but they can damage delicate tissue, weakening the respiratory barrier so that more allergens can enter through your nose or eyes to affect you. At Renew You, we use totally natural therapies to treat allergies, and also to build up the immune system so that you are no longer susceptible to allergies.
