Animal fur, pollen, dust, ragweed… you name it, it’s coming this season! If you are tired of those over-the-counter products and looking for some extra relief from natural products–perhaps a way to prevent the onslaught of runny itchy eyes and pressure headaches–you are in the right place! As always, consult your doctor before implementing new measures to supplement your health.
Get Immediate Relief
Saline Neti Pot
Wash out the sinuses and relieve as much irritation as you can with a saline neti pot. Your sinuses will be instantly flushed and ready to breathe easily. Neti pots are available at most drug stores and are simple to use-just please be sure to NEVER USE TAP WATER.
Acupuncture
Research has shown that acupuncture can help relieve seasonal allergies. Specifically, research shows that quality of life increases with regular acupuncture and demonstrates persistent benefits. This is a very fast way to regain access to your nasal passages and curb that pressure headache.
Eye Compresses
Cold, wet chamomile tea bags over the eyes are very soothing for itchy eyes, as is cucumber infused water or aloe dabbed under the eyes. If you’re at work this might be challenging, so try cool milk instead. Simply dab a milk-filled cotton ball around your eyes. The fat soothes the dry itchy feeling right away.
Prevent Flare-Ups Before They Happen
Maintain a Super Clean Home Environment.
Not only will cleaning the floors and surfaces (perhaps daily) help reduce allergens, but also make sure not to bring outside in with you. Those outdoor allergens will cling to anything, especially your outer layers! Shed your shoes and jacket at the front door to allow your house to be an allergen-free zone–at least, as much as possible.
Close the Windows and Invest in an Air Purifier.
Allergens are all master flyers and floaters. They will drift through screen doors, so don’t risk it. Close the windows and purify the air in your home. Perhaps diffuse some essential oils to further purify the home environment and open up the nasal passages.
Plan Your Outdoor Time Deliberately.
Pollen counts peak in the morning and dwindle throughout the day, so consider avoiding early outdoor activity. Dry windy days typically provide a favorable condition for airborne pollen, and an unfavorable time for you to be outside. But after rainfall, the pollen count will be lower which makes for an ideal time to get outside.
Deal with Underlying Inflammation
Probiotics
Replenishing the gut lining is vital, especially if you end up on antibiotics for sinus infections a lot. Talk to your doctor about how to balance antibiotics with a probiotic supplement, but a general rule of thumb is to take them 2 hours apart–probiotic first, antibiotic later.
Probiotics promote intestinal health and digestion, so that you know you are absorbing all the nutrients in your food and filtering out the bad stuff efficiently. This is a great way to clean and strengthen your system. A clean system will provide a better foundation to flush allergens out of your system quickly so that your immune system stands a better chance.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Allergies begin (in part) as an inflammatory response, generating all those familiar symptoms (sore throat, stuffy sinuses, headaches, etc.). So start eating a more alkaline diet to reduce inflammation, and continue through the allergy season. Specifically, add in anti-inflammatory foods such as garlic, lemon, green tea, bone broth, greens, nuts, and seeds; and cut out known inflammatory foods such as gluten and dairy.
Bromelain and Quercetin Combo
This anti-inflammatory enzyme and bioflavonoid combination comes primarily from pineapple and helps relieve inflammation in the sinuses and stabilize the release of histamines to control allergy symptoms. But don’t be fooled, eating tons of pineapple won’t have the same effect as the concentrated supplement, and it takes a few months to really see a big improvement. This is you playing the long game.
Seasonal allergies can be extremely hindering and uncomfortable. Having a variety of ways to cope with them and soothe your discomfort is important in maintaining your ability to enjoy the life you want to live!
