Spring is here in Tahoe and the initial signs of the green cloud is making its mark by means of sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose (why does the nose run and the feet smell?) and other bothersome symptoms. Seasonal allergies also called Hay Fever and Allergic Rhinitis can make you miserable during this time of year. The more annoying companion to seasonal allergies is Asthma, which can get much worse during this time. Many people use over the counter antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec to control the allergy symptoms but there are many natural treatments for seasonal allergies that have no sedating side effects like the OTC antihistamines.
If you are only suffering from allergies for a month or two during the whole year than I would recommend the following natural treatments for dealing with symptoms; but if you suffering for 4-6 months or even most of the year from various environmental allergies than the end of this article will discuss a more permanent solution for allergies called the AllergyEasy Program.
The goal of treatment for managing the symptoms of seasonal allergies is to reduce exposure and to reduce the histamine response caused by environmental allergens or antigens.
It can be hard to reduce one’s exposure to environmental allergens but keeping your hair washed, having an air filter in your bedroom, keeping windows closed, minimizing outdoor activities especially when pollen counts are high or wearing a mask are all the tricks to reduce the total antigen burden. Rinsing the mucus membranes with a Netipot or Nasopure system (google for website) is very helpful for cleaning out the sinuses of antigens and it is an inexpensive treatment. Do this treatment as directed twice a day.
The natural anti-histamines can be very effective like Quercitin (flavonoid), Bromelain, Stinging Nettles (Eclectic Institute capsules are the best), Butterbur among others. Vitamin C, fish oil, and antioxidants like elderberry and blueberries are effective for helping to reduce allergy symptoms. It is also important to decrease sugar and alcohol consumption during this time.
In addition to the above, another very important treatment for seasonal allergies is supporting the adrenal glands that produce cortisol. This hormone is important for energy and reducing inflammation in the body. It is common to feel very fatigued during allergy season because the adrenal glands are not producing enough cortisol. I commonly replace this hormone for my patients during this time, which helps not only with their energy state but also to control their allergy symptoms.
The AllergyEasy Program is a more permanent solution for environmental allergies. It involves drops under the tongue using a universal serum of antigens daily for up to a year. No testing is needed because the serum contains all of the allergens that most people are reactive too like pollen, molds, cats, grasses, etc. I have found this program to be very effective with an 85% success rate and it is easy to do requiring only 3 minutes a day. The drops are similar to the shots but much more effective. The idea is to desensitize the immune system to these benign substances in the environment; retrain the immune system to stop reacting to these harmless things and to focus on the important things like viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.
