Many natural alternatives to help curb allergy symptoms

And just like that, spring has sprung! Usually winter is a distant memory for me by now, but I’m still thankful every morning to be waking up to clear streets and no snow banks!

This is my favourite time of year, but for many people this is the start of a dreaded time: allergy season. Itchy watery eyes, sneezing, and congestion and constant doses of allergy medication are the norm for many people.

There are many natural alternatives to help curb allergy symptoms and getting to the root of why someone has their allergies can help prevent them from restarting next season. A targeted treatment plan varies person to person, based on their unique situation, but a foundation of care can go a long way to help alleviate symptoms.

Setting a solid foundation

For someone who is prone to allergies, it’s important to make sure you are starting with a solid foundation for health: adequate restful sleep, a balanced approach to life stressors, plenty of water and a balanced, healthy diet. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruit in a range of colours can help ensure we are getting the important nutrients like bioflavonoids and antioxidants to keep our immune system response balanced and healthy.

A major part of this foundation includes making sure our probiotic populations are healthy. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that reside in our digestive tract and on our mucous membranes, including our mouth and sinuses. When we are looking at their role in helping with seasonal allergies, these guys interact with our immune system in a positive way, to help keep it from over-reacting when we inhale pollen. Probiotics can be taken as a supplement and are found naturally in dairy and non-diary keifer, kombucha, yogurt, raw sauerkraut, and cultured/fermented vegetables.

Eliminate food sensitivities

Many of us have negative (often low-grade) immune system reactions to everyday foods we are eating. Symptoms include digestive upset, headaches, hives/itchy skin, eczema, and difficulty concentrating (some call this “brain fog”). Working to identify and avoid these foods helps decreases levels of inflammation in our body and settles our system down so it is less reactive to pollen and airborne allergens.

Avoiding exposure

Make sure filters in forced air heating/cooling systems are cleaned or replaced regularly.

Make sure you aren’t getting exposed to mold and mildew in your home or work environment. This taxes our system and for people who are sensitive to mold, mildew, and airborne allergens, it makes their system less resilient and more reactive.

The use of a neti pot, nasal rinse, or sinus irrigation system is helpful to clear our sinuses, thin mucous, and wash away any pollen or particles we have inhaled. Ideally, people with allergy symptoms should be rinsing once a day, at least an hour before bed.

Consider using an air purification system in your bedroom and keep it running with your door closed so your room can be a safe haven free from allergens.

Keeping your system balanced

As our body reacts to stress in our lives, this can placed added strain on our adrenal glands, as they pump out cortisol for us to react to stress in our lives. Cortisol is needed for us to live, but many of us are running habitually stressed or frazzled by our life commitments and this can strain our system. Making sure we take a time out for self-care is important to our metal and physical health. Many people who suffer from seasonal allergies can benefit from the use of adaptogenic herbs and vitamins to help support our production of cortisol and management of stress levels.

Eating local, unpasteurized honey can be beneficial for many people with allergies. This works kind of like a natural vaccine. As the bees travel to various plants and flowers, they pick up pollen, which is deposited in trace amounts in their honey. Having it unpasteurized and local means small amounts of pollen is present when we ingest it and it will familiarize our system to the pollen, without triggering a reaction.

NOTE: Small children under one year of age should not eat unpasteurized honey, as there is a risk of botulism.

These basics are a great starting point for people suffering from seasonal allergies. Targeted treatment from your ND or health care practitioner can help establish a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs.