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8 Natural Allergy Remedies
An allergic reaction is a difficult thing to deal with, from simple symptoms like a runny nose to more intense reactions such as hives. Some people treat their allergies with allergy pills or allergy shots, but there are more natural ways to treat your allergies. As allergy season is upon us, you can use natural allergy remedies to boost your immune system and lower allergic reactions many times a day.
1. Avoid the Allergen
The best natural remedy is to completely avoid the allergen. If you know what you are allergic to, whether that’s dust, pollen, or animal dander, you should avoid that allergen. That means if you are allergic to pollen, you should probably stay inside during the height of allergy season. If you can’t completely avoid it, there are a few ways you can cut down the allergen.
If you are allergic to pollen, you should wash your face and rinse your hair before bed every night to keep pollen off your pillow. You should also wash your hands and face anytime you come into contact with an allergen. If you are allergic to an animal, avoid going to friend’s houses who have that pet. When they visit, vacuum, and clean any fabric or furniture.
2. Cleanse Your Nasal Passages
When you have an allergic reaction, you may end up with a severe runny nose. Mucus fills up your nose, making it difficult to breathe. Performing a nasal rinse with a neti pot can break up mucus and ease the swelling from allergies. It can also cleanse nasal passages of allergens like dust and pollen.
You can make a neti pot wash with a 3:1 mix of iodide-free salt and baking soda. You can make a large batch of this and store it in an airtight container. To make the wash, mix one teaspoon of the mixture with eight ounces of lukewarm water that is either boiled and cooled, distilled, or bottled. You can do a nasal rinse once a day, but clean your equipment after.
3. Clean Regularly
A great way to keep the allergens down in your home is to clean regularly. You should vacuum with a HEPA filter to lower dust, animal dander, and pollen. You should vacuum the furniture as well as your floors. Using a HEPA filter in your air filters and changing filters regularly can keep allergens out of the air.
Cleaning your sheets and pillowcases is also extremely important in natural allergy treatment. Your nasal passages are closest to your pillowcase, which can collect allergens from your day. To cut down on dust allergies, consider using a dust-blocking pillowcase and cleaning your pillow to reduce dust mites.
4. Use Quercetin or Butterbur
These two anti-inflammatory allergy treatments act as a natural antihistamine to reduce intense allergic reactions. Quercetin helps to balance and control your histamine levels. You can take it as a supplement. You can also eat it several times a day through apples, red wine, teas, and onions.
Butterbur is an extract, also known as Ze 339, that reduces the histamines in your blood. Studies showed it is as effective as antihistamines to relieve runny nose and congestion. Never take butterbur if it hasn’t been processed into an extract, as certain compounds in unprocessed butterbur are dangerous for your liver.
5. Consume More Vitamin C
Allergic reactions are all about what your immune system can handle. To relieve allergies naturally, you’ll want to strengthen your immune system. Vitamin C is a great way to boost your body’s natural defenses. Vitamin C can ease your body’s reaction to allergens by decreasing your body’s production of histamines. Vitamin C also fights off infections.
Many natural foods are high in vitamin C. Most everyone knows that oranges are high in vitamin C, but red peppers, kiwis, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, tomatoes, blueberries, and cauliflower are also all high in vitamin C. You can also take a vitamin C pill or a supplemental vitamin C drink.
6. Cut Out Sugar
Sugar is the archnemesis of your immune system. Sugar slows all your body functions down, including your immune response. If you consume lots of processed sugar several times a day, your body’s defenses will take a hit, meaning worse allergic reactions. You’ll be running to the doctor for allergy shots.
Cutting sugar means cutting out processed sugar, such as cookies, cupcakes, icing, etc. You can still have a sweet treat occasionally, but avoid giving in to cravings, as sugar can be addictive. Fruits, dark chocolate, and local honey are some great healthy alternatives to satisfy your sweet tooth. Fruit and raw local honey can also boost your natural allergy defenses.
7. Manage Your Stress
Studies showed that increased stress increases the histamines in your blood. While stress doesn’t cause allergies, it can make their reactions much worse. Managing your stress is a great anti-inflammatory allergy treatment. You can manage stress by taking time to relax, practice yoga, take a hot shower or bath, or any activity that practices mindfulness and calm. Even if it just means taking five minutes a few times a day, practice deep breathing which will help your body reduce stress.
8. Take Curcumin
Curcumin has been used for centuries to treat immune responses like an allergic reaction. Studies showed that curcumin relieved sneezing and congestion while opening nasal passages in both humans and animals. Curcumin is one of the best anti-inflammatory allergy treatments since its anti-inflammatory properties help with many symptoms.
Allergies can be treated naturally so you don’t need allergy shots to treat your runny nose. Many different remedies, from neti pots for a nasal rinse to herbal supplements, can boost your natural defenses, lower histamine levels, and stop a bad allergic reaction. Using these remedies, you can prepare yourself for allergy season. If you are looking for more tips and resources for your health, visit Aging Healthy Today to find educational sources to help you age healthily.
