Are you one of the 50 million other Americans itching for allergy relief this season? The solution may be right under your runny nose. With a variety of natural remedies available, you may want to skip the pharmacy and look to Mother Nature instead.
Our immune systems are designed to combat pathogens and other foreign invaders that zap our strength and energy. However, high stress levels, dietary habits, and environmental factors can weaken our body’s ability to protect us. Try the following tips to help you breathe in the fresh air and see the blue skies more clearly!
Food for Thought: Certain foods can provoke sensitivities such as a rash or upset stomach. This places more strain on our bodies and further weakens our immune system, making us more prone to seasonal allergy attacks. Try rotating your foods by waiting at least four days before repeating any single food item. Take these tips to minimize your body’s allergy burden.
1. Stop the sneezing
To stop the sniffles try to eliminate the following foods from your diet: wheat, dairy, shellfish, chocolate, cold and raw foods, fried foods, white sugar, bleached flours, and sweetened beverages. If you suffer from ragweed or other weed pollen allergies you will definitely want to avoid the following foods and herbs: melons, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, bananas, chamomile, and echinacea.
2. Spice up your resistance
If you enjoy some fire in your dishes, then you are in for a happy surprise: spices can thin the mucous secretions that are so often a byproduct of allergies. Use more cayenne pepper, hot ginger, fenugreek, onion, and garlic in your cooking so that you are free to smell the roses without the symptoms!
3. Fight allergies with healthy fats
Make sure to include fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds in your diet daily for their anti-inflammatory benefits.
Herbal and Essential Oil Therapies: Many herbs and essential oils from plants can be an effective aid against common seasonal allergies. Try these tips on for size.
4. Beat allergies with butterbur
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that butterbur, Petasites hybridus, may give you a helping hand with your allergy symptoms. The researchers involved in the study discovered that when subjects were given one butterbur tablet four times daily, the butterbur was just as effective as a popular antihistamine drug in helping control symptoms of hay fever. Another study presented at the 60th annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) also praised butterbur for mitigating grass allergy.
Bonus Tip: You may consider trying our version of the classic Allergy Tamer formula, an herbal blend of Chinese herbs that can help you alleviate your allergies.
5. Vaporize your allergies
To breathe more clearly, try this stovetop remedy. Put one drop of menthol or wintergreen into a pot of boiling water. Cover your head with a towel, lean over the pot and inhale the vapors. Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot steam.
6. Refresh your nasal cavities
Put one drop each of wintergreen and oregano oil and mix with one teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of warm water. Fill a small squeeze bottle with the solution, and squirt it into each nostril, one at a time. Blow your nose each time and repeat until you finish the solution. This procedure can be repeated daily.
Tips for an Allergy-Free Zone: Is your environment contributing to your allergies? Your home, work place, and car may be a breeding ground for mold, dust mites, and other allergens. Clear the air with these tips!
7. Another one bites the dust
If the choice is up to you, opt for solid wood or stone floors--carpets tend to breed dust mites and fungal colonies. Vacuum twice a week and limit throw rugs to reduce dust and mold.
8. Say no to Fido and flowers
To get your beauty rest, keep pets away from the bedroom, beds, and couches. Leave the plants and flowers to the florist, as they sometimes harbor mold that exacerbate your allergies.
9. Cultivate allergy-free air
Toss the chemical cleaners, perfumes, and hair sprays if you want to breathe better. Try to minimize cooking fumes and do not smoke. Keep car windows closed and set the air conditioner to use re-circulated air.
10. Avoid pesky pollen
To minimize pollen and allergen exposure, wash your clothes and shower as soon as you come in from the great outdoors. Outside pollen counts are usually highest between 5 and 10 a.m. so spend as little time as possible out of doors during this time of day.
I hope that these suggestions will help you live allergy-free throughout all seasons. You can find more ways to live a long and healthy life in Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100, which is now available on Kindle. If you are interested in a lifestyle program designed to transform your health and lengthen your years, check out my new book Secrets of Longevity 8-Week Program.
I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
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