Healing Allergies from the Inside Out: Sam’s Journey to Recovery
If you haven’t already read my story about Sam and his gastrointestinal issues that led to worsening respiratory problems, I highly recommend checking that blog out first, Co-Owner Brittany Jacobsen’s Journey: Overcoming Severe Ulcers & Creat – ActivateQI. Understanding how his gut health decline triggered a cascade of other health issues is essential before diving deeper into allergies.
When Conventional Treatments Fall Short
As Sam’s gastrointestinal health deteriorated, so did his allergies. During his time on Lasix, I struggled with using it because it triggered colic episodes—he wasn’t drinking well while being hauled, and when he did drink, he coughed excessively. Naturally, I feared he was bleeding, so I took him in for a scope and a BAL.
From there, I moved on to antihistamines and allergy shots, hoping they would provide relief. However, it didn’t take long to realize they weren’t making a difference either.
The Gut-Immune Connection & Why Allergies Develop
As I deepened my knowledge of Leaky Gut, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and autoimmune responses, everything started to make sense. Allergies weren’t just about pollen or environmental triggers—they were a symptom of a deeper imbalance within the body.
Spleen Imbalance & Digestion: In TCM, the spleen plays a key role in digestion, and when it becomes imbalanced, it disrupts digestion rates. If food and liquids don’t have enough time to be properly processed, excess moisture can accumulate in the lungs, leading to phlegm buildup and airway irritation.
Processed, Inflammatory Diets: When horses consume processed, inflammatory ingredients, these can enter the hindgut, which then produces more acid to break them down—something it wasn’t designed to do.
The Domino Effect of Gut Damage:
- A low pH environment damages the gut lining, killing off beneficial bacteria.
- The release of neurotoxins that enter the bloodstream, triggering an autoimmune response.
- The immune system begins attacking everything it encounters, which eventually manifests as allergies and immune dysfunction.
How Healing the Gut Transformed Sam’s Health
As I focused on healing Sam’s gut with Redemption, I started seeing dramatic improvements—not just in his digestion, but in his overall immune response. To support his lungs, I used Respire for the first few months, but as his gut healed, his respiratory issues faded—to the point where he no longer needed it.
Sam went from:
❌ Struggling with respiratory issues for half the year
❌ Coughing every time he drank or exercised
❌ Struggling to finish a pattern
To:
✅ Only experiencing a mild allergy flare-up for two weeks during peak pollen season
Healing from the Root Cause, Not Just Managing Symptoms
I share Sam’s journey because it’s a powerful reminder that diet and gut health are the foundation of healing allergies. Instead of relying on long-term supplement use to mask symptoms, our goal should be to restore balance in the body so that horses can naturally regulate their immune response.
If your horse struggles with respiratory issues or allergies, start by looking at gut health—because true healing begins from the inside out.
