Allergies – ugh.
Drip. Drip. Hack. Sneeze. Wheeze. Yuck.
Is Mother Nature messing with your head?! Is this beautiful season making you miserable with allergies? Add in crankiness and a foggy head to the above symptoms and you are definitely NOT a happy camper. What to do if you don’t want to take medications, or if you loathe their side effects? Read on for my sure-fire suggestions to take you from Ugh to Yippee.
Note: Yes, they take more effort than popping a Benedryl, but the effort is truly worth it. You can do it!
Your Modern Day Medicine Woman’s Allergy Recommendations:
Take a shower! Yes, take a shower – at the end of the day. Sleep on clean sheets, not the layers of pollen your body and hair have picked up all day – eek.
Acupuncture: Make an appointment to see your friendly neighborhood acupuncturist. Very effective for treatment and prevention of seasonal allergies. Give it a few sessions. Even better, go at the change of seasons to boost your body’s defenses so you don’t get hit in the first place.
Herbal Anti-histamines & Nutrients: There are many good products out there, available through your local acupuncturist/healer or health food store/pharmacy. Some that I like: Xanthium Relieve Surface (by Health Concerns), Histoplex AB (by Biotics), Bi Yan Pian (traditional chinese herbal patent), Nettles (single herb available in liquid or powdered forms), and Vitamin C (at least 1,000 mg/day). I often do a combination of the above for best results.
Remember, these are plants – they are not synthetic, concentrated chemicals. They take time and repeated use to work. Take several times throughout the day until you feel better.
Essential Oils: One of my favorite ways to address allergies, essential oils can really help, but as with herbs, they must be used several times throughout the day. Recommended oils to try: Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint, Fir, and Pine. I usually use a combination of 2 or 3 of these.
How to use oils: Put a drop or 2 in your palm, rub your hands together to spread the oil around, then cup your hands around your nose and inhale deeply for a while. Be careful not to touch your eyes. You can then rub the remaining oil onto a tissue and continue to smell it throughout the day. In a pinch, just sniff from the bottle. Or try using a diffuser at home – a great way to treat yourself and your family.
You can also dilute the oils in a tablespoon of vegetable oil and apply to your chest, lung acupuncture points or even under your nose.
Weird Device: Try a neti pot. Yes, that weird thingy you fill with water and stick up your nose. It’s awkward at first but you get used to it. Helps flush out your sinuses of all that pollen you’re breathing in. Do it a couple of times per day. You can find them at your local health food store/pharmacy.
Dietary Suggestions: Drink lots and lots of water to flush out your system. Avoid mucus-increasing foods like dairy products and sugar. And go easy on the caffeine – it just further depletes your adrenals (see below).
Adrenal Support: Your adrenal glands are the ones that produce the fight-or-flight hormone called adrenaline. When your body is “assaulted” by pollen, this is considered to be an “invasion”, so the body pumps out adrenaline to fight it. Using up all your adrenaline makes you tired – that’s why you are so tired and groggy when you have allergies. Consider taking a nutritional supplement for your adrenals. A good one is Gaia Herbs’ Adrenal Support, available at any health food store.
Environmental: Consider getting an air purifier for your home, especially to run in the bedroom at night.
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Every little bit helps. Try implementing one or all of these suggestions and you should be feeling better soon. And falling back in love with Mother Nature, too.
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