6 Natural Allergy Remedies
As the seasons change the days get longer. Trees, flowers and ragweed are blooming, and cats' and dogs' shedding increases! 50 million Americans suffer from all kinds of allergies. Side effects include lack of sleep, fatigue, migraines and depression. Environmentalists predict it will only get worse in the future, thanks to air pollution. Plus, allergies worsen as we age, and children are getting diagnosed sooner.How about some good news? Here's what you can do - naturally. Understand your allergies. Keep the air around you clean. Avoid using window fans to cool rooms, because they can pull pollen indoors. Keep windows closed when driving, using the air conditioner if necessary, to avoid allergens.
1. Neti Pots. Originally from India these handy pots may look like comical Aladdin lamps, but offer allergy sufferers serious relief. Flushing sinuses with salt water offers your passages a good cleansing! You'll sleep better and snore less too.
2. Quercetin. Comes from a plant-derived compound called bioflavonoid. Quercetin is a natural antioxidant that helps cleanse overall. The recommended dosage is about 1,000 milligrams a day, taken between meals. Start treatment six weeks before allergy season.
3. Allergy Fighting Foods. A German study, published in Allergy magazine, found that Omega-3 helps fight allergy symptoms. Omega-3s can be found in coldwater fish, and is available as a vitamin pill, and claims to boost memory building too.
4. Stinging Nettle. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) offers a
natural option to treat allergies. Nettle actually stops the body's
ability to produce histamine. It's a common weed in many parts of the
United States, but the most practical medicinal form is a freeze-dried
extract of the leaves sold in capsules. Taking about 300 milligrams
daily will offer relief for most allergy sufferers.
5. Butterbur. A Swiss study, published in the British Journal of Medicine, found that butterbur was as effective as the drug cetirizine, the active ingredient in Zyrtec. As its from teh same family as the ragweed, it could worsen allergy symptoms in some cases. Effects of taking butterbur over a long period of time also are unknown.
6. Sublingual Immunotherapy. Otherwise known as allergy shots, this is the most common method of injecting patients over time to build resistance. Treatments can take up to 5 years to be effective. In SLIT treatments, patients put drops of a very small dose of the allergen (a few drops) under the tongue for two minutes, then swallow. This is a daily treatment a few weeks before allergy season begins.
Check out this video about allergies to learn more about symptoms.
5. Butterbur. A Swiss study, published in the British Journal of Medicine, found that butterbur was as effective as the drug cetirizine, the active ingredient in Zyrtec. As its from teh same family as the ragweed, it could worsen allergy symptoms in some cases. Effects of taking butterbur over a long period of time also are unknown.
6. Sublingual Immunotherapy. Otherwise known as allergy shots, this is the most common method of injecting patients over time to build resistance. Treatments can take up to 5 years to be effective. In SLIT treatments, patients put drops of a very small dose of the allergen (a few drops) under the tongue for two minutes, then swallow. This is a daily treatment a few weeks before allergy season begins.
Check out this video about allergies to learn more about symptoms.
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My family has been on SLIT (allergy drops under the tongue) for a few years. Wow...what a difference. Especially with my husband--he was horribly allergic and asthmatic as kid, and it was getting worse the past few years. Thanks to the drops, he's off his allergy meds--even the inhalers and some of the questionable drugs like advair--and says he feels like a kid again. Also helped my son tolerate dairy again.