Allergy Season: Natural Ways to Survive It!

This beautiful time of year in Los Ranchos brings the Growers market, budding trees, long sunny days, and cotton falling like snow, wind and for many of us, allergies. Allergies are caused by your body’s immune system overreacting to irritants in the environment.  The most common allergy irritants are pollens, grasses and ragweed.  Once exposed, the body produces histamines and we begin to experience, stuffy noses, sneezing, itchy eyes, nose and throat, headaches and even skin rashes.

So what is a person to do?  With all this lovely weather, who wants to be trapped inside doing nothing when we’d rather be out playing and enjoying the day? The good news is that unless the pollen and mold are high and temperatures are not too hot, you can exercise outdoors. Do keep in mind that pollen counts tend to peak in the early morning and midafternoon.   Swimming and walking are the least likely to cause allergy and asthma-related complications.  The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that allergy and asthma sufferers engage in a 15 minute warm-up before exercising as well as a 15-minute cool-down.  This can help prevent wheezing and general breathing difficulties.

When the counts are high and you need to exercise in doors, mind/body exercises such as Pilates, yoga or GYROKINESIS^®with their blend of breath work, relaxation and movement are perfect for controlling allergies.   Remember to use your own, clean mat so you have control over what you are exercising on.  Carpet alone is a trap for allergens. 

The one caveat to all the above is that if you are experiencing allergic symptoms that are out of control, it is best to refrain from any type of high-intensity exercise as over-exertion can worsen your condition and lead to potentially life-threatening situations.

The best way to deal with allergies is to prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place.  Since allergies are caused by our body’s immune systems response, we should build up our immune systems to combat the problem.

What you eat has a lot to do with how well your body responds to all the allergens in the air.  Anyone whose diet includes a lot of junk and processed foods will have a weakened immune system.  Not only are they more likely to be affected by seasonal allergies, they are likely to become sick more often and suffer from other nutrition related diseases.

Here are a few diet changes and other preventative measures you can take to keep allergies at bay.

• Drink plenty of water throughout the day.  Many people experience relief after drinking only two glasses of water.  So if you feel allergies coming on, start drinking.
• Eliminate highly processed and junk food from your diet.
• Be sure to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies.  Colorful fruits have flavonoids  or bioflavonoids which may help reduce histamine production
• Up your intake of foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega3’s help to fight inflammation which is a factor when it comes to allergies.  Some sources are salmon, tuna, flaxseed oil and walnuts.
• Find some local honey.  The key word is local to your area.  Bees use the same pollen to make the honey that you are allergic to.  Ingesting honey is a natural remedy for allergies to pollen.
• Limit your intake of alcohol and chocolate as they can do a number on your allergies.
• Supplement with Redox Signaling Molecules.  These 100% non-toxic molecules are native to the body and work at the cellular level to boost your immune system.
• Take a shower and wash your hair.   After spending long hours outside, a shower can wash off any pollen that may have been collected on you throughout the day.  If you wake up in the middle of the night with symptoms, a hot shower can do wonders.  Not only will it get rid of any pollen on your body but it can open up your sinuses, make you breathe easier, relax you and help you to get back to sleep.
• Speaking of sleep, make sure you get enough.  When you don’t get enough, your symptoms will worsen and your body is not able to repair itself as efficiently.
• Wash your pet frequently and wash your hands after you have had direct contact with him or her.
• Don’t line dry your clothes outdoors during allergy season.

If you do find symptoms flaring up, irrigating your nose with saline solution may help soothe upper respiratory allergies by removing irritants that become lodged in the nose and cause inflammation.  Saline solution may even wash away some of the inflammatory cells themselves.  Another way to soothe irritated sinuses and help rid the nasal passages of mucus is to steam your face over a bowl of steaming, hot water.  Lean over carefully, drape a towel over your head and breathe gently for 5 to 10 minutes. You will be amazed at how beneficial this is.  You also might want to try sipping peppermint tea.  Peppermint’s essential oil acts as a decongestant and substances in peppermint contain anti-inflammatory and mild antibacterial elements.

Finally treat yourself to a Reflexology session.  Reflexology Foot treatments promote self-healing powers of the body, strengthen the body’s immune system and support the functions of the liver, kidneys and bowel. Reflexology also reduces the sensitivity to allergens such as pollen or weeds and promotes life energy and vitality.

By taking these natural approaches to prevention and treatment of your allergies, you will survive the allergy season with much more tranquility.