We can all agree that allergies are the absolute worst. Defined as an overaggressive immune response, allergies are usually triggered by ingesting certain foods, touching certain substances, or inhaling an irritant such as pollen or animal dander.
Allergies to pollen, spores, mold, and dust (also called hay fever or allergic rhinitis) affect the respiratory system and are usually the most difficult to control. What’s even worse than allergies nowadays are the side-effects that over-the-counter allergy medicines can cause.
From a naturopathic viewpoint, allergies are often associated with weak adrenal, immune, and digestive functions. Natural treatments are used to support and improve those functions and to alleviate hay fever symptoms. For seasonal allergies, beginning natural treatments (e.g., Stinging nettles) 1–2 months before the season starts can help reduce the severity of symptoms.
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Good health can help ease allergy symptoms, and good health starts with nutrition. People sensitive to airborne allergens may also be sensitive to certain foods. Identifying and removing those foods from the diet can greatly improve health and reduce allergy symptoms. This is best accomplished by the elimination and challenge diet.
Eating Habits
To reduce allergy symptoms, it’s recommended that you eat a moderately low-fat, high-complex-carbohydrate diet. Drink 1/2 of body weight in ounces of water daily (e.g., a 150 lb person would drink 75 oz of water). Include a lot of the following foods in the diet:
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- Dark green, leafy vegetables
- Deep yellow and orange vegetables
- Nettles, bamboo shoots, cabbage, beet tops, beets, carrots, yams
- Onions, garlic, ginger, cayenne, horseradish
Eliminate The Following From The Diet:
- Alcohol, caffeine, and dairy products
- Bananas and citrus fruit
- Chocolate
- Food colorings (tartrazine)
- Peanuts
- Red meat
- Sugar
- Wheat
Supplements, Vitamins, and Minerals
Bioflavonoids (e.g., quercetin, catechin, and hesperidin) - Take 2-3 grams daily. When symptoms are severe, take up to 6 grams. Bioflavonoids are natural antihistamines and strongly anti-allergenic. Bromelain and vitamin C can enhance the action of bioflavonoids. Combination products are available.
Flaxseed oil - Take 1 tbsp daily.
Probiotics (e.g., lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus) - Take one in the morning and one in the evening. Probiotics are bowel microflora organisms—microscopic bacteria that normally inhabit the intestines. Buy a quality product that has 1-4 billion organisms per capsule.
Multivitamin - High potency and customized if possible.
Vitamin A - Take 25,000 IUs daily.
Vitamin C - Take 1-3 grams 2 to 3 times daily or to bowel tolerance. (Bowel tolerance is the amount of vitamin C that can be taken without causing diarrhea. This amount is different for each person and can change if the need increases because the body is stressed, injured, or ill.)
Vitamin E - Take 400 IUs daily.
Zinc - Take 30 mg daily.
Herbs
Herbal medicines rarely have the significant side effects that their highly manufactured counterpart do, especially when used appropriately and at suggested doses. Occasionally, an herb at the prescribed dose causes stomach upset or headache. This may reflect the purity of the preparation or added ingredients, such as synthetic binders or fillers.
For this reason, it is recommended that only high-quality products be used. As with all medications, more is not better and overdosing can lead to serious illness and death.
Some of the herbs used to treat hay fever symptoms include:
Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) - Used as an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory.
Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) - Reduces congestion and secretions. It is good for itchy eyes, sneezing, and excess mucus.
Gingko (Gingko biloba) - Contains bioflavonoids and is used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) - Helps reduce allergic, inflammatory, and histaminic reactions and supports liver function.
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) - Helps build the body’s resistance to allergies.
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) - Used as an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - Reduces congestion and secretions.
Make a tea of one herb or a combination of herbs. Take 3 to 4 cups a day. If the herbs are in tincture form, combine several of them and take 1 -3 drops 3 to 4 times a day.
Homeopathy
The standard dosage for acute symptom relief is 3 pellets of 30C every 4 hours until symptoms resolve. Lower potencies, such as 6X, 6C, 30X, may be given every 2 to 4 hours. If the right remedy is chosen, symptoms should improve shortly after the second dose. If there is no improvement after 3 doses, a different remedy is given. According to Naturopathic.org, the following remedies have been shown to be effective in acute, symptomatic relief of hay fever or allergies:
-Allium cepa: Indicated for bland, non-irritating discharge from eyes; copious, watery, acrid discharge from nose; hoarseness; and feeling better in cool air and open room.
-Euphrasia: Indicated for symptoms such as copious, watery, acrid discharge from eyes; non-irritating discharge from nose; dry, hard cough; much sneezing; diarrhea; and feeling worse in the open air.
-Natrum muriaticum: Indicated for watery or egg white-like discharges; cold sores; no sense of taste or smell; headaches; and feeling better outside.
-Nux vomica: Indicated for runny nose in the daytime, then dry nose at night; violent sneezing; nose feels blocked but there is watery nasal discharge through one nostril, and feeling worse outside.
-Wyethia: Indicated for extreme itching in the nose and throat; throat feels swollen; back of the throat is dry and burning, and sensation as if something were in nasal passages.
-Hydrotherapy
-Castor Oil Packs
-Constitutional Hydrotherapy
-Cold cloth to the forehead
-Hotfoot baths
-Nasal lavage
-Other Recommendations
Acupuncture
It has been found that acupuncture has done wonders in clearing stuffy nasal passages and head congestion when timed properly, usually at the onset of allergy symptoms. It is often found that patients get some relief during the first visit while lying on the exam table with their acupuncture needles in place. Patients are asked to score their nose stuffiness on a zero to ten scale. Zero meaning no stuffiness at all and 10 being the worst possible stuffiness for the patient. A score may be determined before and after the acupuncture treatment.
Patients can also determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment by tracking the number of sneezes per day and the number of itching episodes around their eyes. After an initial series of treatments, patients come in for further treatments on an as-needed basis. Some patients come back in once or twice a year for a booster while others may come more often.
In general, patients do better if they avoid sugar and milk in their diets. They have better and longer-lasting responses and almost instant relief.
We hope these tips will help keep you clear and healthy this fall!
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
