How to Beat Allergy Season

Spring is here and that means the days are warming up and the flowers are blooming.  If you’re in Arizona like me, it also means that it’s time to take advantage of all of the fun outdoor activities.  It’s about to get blisteringly hot here making me not even want to leave my house, so I’m trying to take advantage of this beautiful weather while I can.  The downfall of this wonderful weather is that with Spring comes allergy season.

Seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis, is your bodies reaction to the pollen that’s being released by blossoming plants.  As pretty as the plants around you might look during this season, if you’re anything like me your symptoms make it difficult to enjoy.  Seasonal allergies usually present with red watery eyes, an itchy runny nose, sneezing, headaches, and fatigue.

Below I’ve included a few tips for making allergy season more tolerable.

Things to avoid:

• Outdoor activities in the mornings.  This is when pollen levels tend to be highest, so staying indoors during this time will help minimize your exposure to pollen.
• Windy days.  If you notice it is a particularly windy day, stay indoors if possible.  The wind will spread the pollen through the air and probably cause a flare in your symptoms.
• Freshly mowed grass.  I think this likely goes without saying, but stay away from the freshly mowed grass.  It’ll just aggravate your symptoms.
• Windows rolled down.  Even when the weather is nice out, if you suffer from allergies keep the windows rolled up to prevent the pollen from blowing into your car.
• Known food allergies or intolerances.  Your body is already working in overdrive during allergy season to combat the effects of pollen, avoid foods that you are sensitive to so that you aren’t taxing your body even more.

Conventional Allergy treatments:

• Claritin, decongestants (which should always be avoided in people with Thyroid disease), antihistamines, and nasal sprays.  The problem with these methods is that while they do tend to decrease your allergy symptoms, they are likely to cause other symptoms such as increased fatigue, dry mouth, and nausea.

Naturopathic Allergy Treatments:

• • Vitamin C.  Reduces the histamine found in your bloodstream, effectively minimizing your reaction to allergen exposure.
  • Bromelain.  This enzyme is found most abundant in pineapple.  It helps fight the inflammation in your respiratory system caused by allergies.
  • Quercitin.  This is a natural antihistamine that is proactive against the effects of allergy season.
  • NAC. This supplement helps thin mucous and improves congestion.
  • Water. keeping your body well-hydrated will make it easier for your sinuses to flush out the pollen and debris.  You should be drinking at minimum half of your body weight in ounces (if you are 160 pounds, no less than 80 oz of water).  You should ideally up your intake, especially during allergy season and when the weather warms up.
  • Daily nasal lavage.  Along the same lines as increasing your water intake, nasal lavage will help your sinuses flush out pollen and debris.  Do this in the evenings to help you breathe easier before you get into bed for the night. Nasal lavage can be done using a neti-pot.  I’ve linked one below, it’s seriously amazing.

The Neti Pot works wonders on your sinuses.  If you don’t have one, you need to try it!  They are also amazing to use when you have a cold and are congested.

D-Hist is a supplement that I swear by for seasonal allergies.  It contains the supplements I listed above that are beneficial for allergies, and it works wonders.  The only drawback to this product is you have to take a lot of it at first to build up the levels in your body, but once you’ve done that it’s just two capsules per day.  This product is absolutely amazing for seasonal allergies.  It’s not cheap, but so so worth it.

***If you are pregnant or breastfeeding consult with your doctor before taking any OTC medications or herbal supplements.

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