Natural Allergy Relief

This time of year can be literal torture for seasonal allergy sufferers (heck, and year-round allergy sufferers). The trees and flowers are back in bloom… and that means itchy eyes and congestions all around! I know that most of you tough it out, not wanting to resort to medications unless absolutely necessary, so here are a couple remedies that will hopefully provide you with a little relief as you go.

Start by swapping some of your schedule, if you can. They say the worst times for allergens and pollen are around sunrise and sunset: while the weather is still palatable, try swapping your morning jog to midday or late afternoon. This will hopefully help keep you out of the thick of it. Once you get home leave your sneakers outside and head straight in to get changed/shower. You bring a lot of pollen right indoors on you, so you’ll want to remove it quickly to decrease the effects. Washing your hair right before bed and changing your sheets more frequently will also help to ensure you a better night’s sleep by removing the lingering allergens that would keep you up.

Use apple cider vinegar to your advantage. We already use it to clean our homes and kill other health issues (such as heartburn). Use it to help cleanse your system and break down mucus, as well. Mix 1 tablespoon with a glass of water 3x daily to best affect.

Saline Nasal spray and Neti pots are your friend. Although using a neti isn’t always recommended (because it can be “overly cleansing” if used with too much regularity), cleansing your sinuses with nasal spray and/or neti pots will help remove residual allergens from your sinus canal to keep their effects to a minimum.  

A teaspoon a day of local honey may keep the allergens away. Honey already has beneficial qualities to help you feel better: soothing raw throats and warding off a cough. It is believed that local honey may have an additional effect: the honey cultivated in our local environment may help you build up a barrier and tolerance for the allergens there. It may only be a chance, but with already existing anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties it doesn’t hurt to try.

Take as many breaks as you can. The more stressed you are the more hyper-reactive your body is going to be to the allergy simulants. By catching up on a little sleep and those yoga/meditative sessions you just haven’t had time for you’ll be helping your body fight the battle with fewer side-effects.