Seasonal Allergies Got You? Try These Remedies!
By: Shandalla L.R. Seirawan, MSA, Bastyr University, Premed N.D.
It’s
that time of year again in Western Washington.
Yes, it is spring; making our fair city even more beautiful with all its
blooms and flowers and yes, unfortunately, allergy season. Spring shows up with all its glory and for
some, it can bring with it sneezing, watery eyes, uncontrollable runny nose,
and a puffy face. All of this sending
even the bravest of us inside to avoid the pollen and to avoid being caught in
public looking like a watery mess. To
help you out, I did some research and brought together the other practitioners
in my office. Together, we can offer you some
advice to offset this time of misery because we want you to make the most of
our wonderful upcoming spring days.
Get a chiropractic adjustment: Getting regular chiropractic adjustments during this
time can help to make the body perform optimally and increase the immune
system, this way you are less susceptible to the onset of allergies. In addition, gentle
adjustments can open up the Eustachian tubes of the ears and release the
sinuses to help decrease the misery that comes with the symptoms of seasonal
allergies.
Consume locally sourced raw honey throughout the year: Local honey is a great way to
build up immunity over time. The key is
getting locally sourced raw honey that is created with local pollen. Because honey
contains a small amount of pollen, a you consume the honey throughout the year, the body will build up immunity to
that allergen.
Reishi Mushroom tea/tincture: Reishi mushrooms are a woody mushroom used widely throughout the world, but is well known to reverse signs of aging. In addition, research has shown that it increases the immune system and decreases histamine and inflammatory response.
Nettle tea:
Yes, the Stinging Nettle variety.
Once dried, it loses its ability to sting, but gains the ability to
decrease inflammation in the body and decreases histamine response. Histamine is what is responsible for all the
symptoms that come with seasonal allergies.
The best bang for your buck will come from wild harvested dried organic
nettle leaf. You can order whole leaf nettle
from a local Seattle store online at www.dandelionbotanical.com
just steep in boiling water to make an herbal tea, or go to Whole Foods and
pick up some Nettle Leaf Tea by Traditional Medicinals.
Quercetin:
This has also been shown in preliminary studies to lessen inflammation
and reduce histamine production while acting as a bronchodilator. You can get quercetin from foods like red
onion, grapes, apples, parsley, sage, green tea, and citrus. Better yet, make a salad with some of these
ingredients and poof, you have a healthy delicious allergy reducing side
dish. Or make a wonderful citrus green
tea by boiling 2 quarts of water with 4 green tea bags; making sure to steep
tea bags for only 3-5 minutes to prevent bitterness, remove and discard. Once the green tea has cooled some, wash and
slice a whole orange, peel included, place in the tea. Let it rest for 1 hour to infuse the tea.
Sweeten with local honey to taste and serve cool. Now you have a great allergy busting drink. If
you’d rather, you can also obtain a quercetin supplement from a Naturopathic
Doctor.
N-Acetylcysteine (NAC): NAC is a derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine. It is well known for its antioxidant benefits. It increases energy and is a precursor to glutathione, one of the body's natural healing chemicals and disease fighters. NAC boosts the immune system and thins mucus is a natural allergy remedy.
As you can see there are many ways to treat and prevent allergies. Talk with primary care physician or Naturopathic Doctor to determine the treatment that is the most appropriate for you.
Sources:
www.everdayroots.com
http://www.drwhitaker.com/
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/reishi-mushroom
