Is it a cold or is it allergies? Experts predict that this will be the worst allergy season on record. Mother Nature is in overdrive. Thanks to a wet summer followed by a mild winter and a significantly higher than normal temperature, plants are throwing tremendous amounts of pollen into the air way ahead of schedule and allergies are on the rise more than ever before.
Thankfully, there are changes you can make inside your home to reduce symptoms. There are also tests you can take to hone in on what is bugging you, and there are natural treatment options including how a change in your diet that can help.
Symptoms of an allergy may include a runny nose, sneezing, itchiness, dark circles under the eyes, wheezing, coughing and congestion to name a few. Classic allergies have classic symptoms. But how do you know if what you’re experiencing is indeed allergies and NOT the common cold?
First: Are you making yor allergies worse? Here are 5 things that can aggravate your suffering…
1) IMMUNITY
Problem: Imbalanced immunity, chemical and allergic priming phenomenon.
Solution: testing and treating an imbalance by immunomodulation – the use of herbs, homeopathics, nutraceuticals, and SLIT thereapy to balance your immune system. (I like plant sterols and the other remedies that are scientifically proven below).
2) FOODS
Problem: you are eating foods that relate to your environmental allergies
This is called ‘’Pollen-Food Allergy” or OAS (oral allergy syndrome)
Depending on the pollen cross-over, certain fruit, nuts, or veggies cause the person sensitive to the pollen to be sensitive to the related food.
Alder pollen: almonds, apples, celery, cherries, hazel nuts, peaches, pears, parsley, strawberry, raspberry
Birch pollen: almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazel nuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat; Potential: walnuts
Grass pollen: fig, melons, tomatoes, oranges
Mugwort pollen: carrots, celery, coriander, fennel, parsley, peppers, sunflower
Ragweed pollen: banana, cantaloupe, cucumber, green pepper, paprika, sunflower seeds/oil, honeydew, watermelon, zucchini, echinacea, artichoke, dandelions, honey (if bees pollinate from wild flowers), hibiscus or chamomile tea
Solution: get a skin scratch test or a blood test to determine environmental and food borne allergies and avoid those
3) LETTING IN THE OUTDOORS
Problem: Opening windows as soon as there is nice weather, recycling air, improper ventilation, poor vacuum.
Solution: Pollentec. A revolutionary new material equal to HEPA for window screening and furnace filters; proven to prevent 100% grass pollens etc from entering and (re)circulating inside the home instead of having to close doors and windows you can open them if you use pollentec during high pollen counts.
4) TAKING POLLENS TO BED
Problem: Taking pollens to bed with you!
Solution: Shower before bed!
5) WHEN NATURAL ISN’T GOOD
Problem: Using natural remedies for other problems that also cause aggravate your allergies (ie. Chamomile, Echinacea, Dandelion, etc)
Solution: Learn what herbs, teas, and supplements may cause your allergies to get worse.