Almost 40 percent of Americans try some form of alternative medicine, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says. Doctors say a growing number of the 35.9 million Americans who have seasonal allergies are inquiring about or already dabbling with alternative treatments as diverse as herbal teas laced with local honey, acupuncture and biofeedback.

There has only been scientific validation for mind-body medicine for the last quarter century.  The idea that physical health can be influenced by thoughts, emotions and beliefs is just now catching on.  Many practitioners of psychoneuroimmunology, the medical term for mind-body medicine, relate case studies that are amazing, particularly in the treatment of chronic illnesses like sinusitis, allergies, arthritis and back pain.  Modern Western medicine has no cure for these.  Allergies can’t be cured, but there are many traditional and natural methods of treating the symptoms.

Homeopathic Medicine:   A Proven Remedy

Something new on the horizon in natural allergy relief is a new homeopathic product that is safe and effective in relieving symptoms of allergic rhinitis (runny, irritated nose).  MucoAd is a mucoadhesive molecule (hypromellose) that prolongs contact with the nasal surface.  This means that the nasal spray last longer and re-dosing isn’t needed as much.

Another exciting new product is based on a herb that is a long-time remedy for allergic asthma and allergies, capsium.  Capsaicin nasal spray reduced all symptoms and relief was achieved in a study using Sinol-M.  Testing revealed that Sinol-M might promote a better night’s sleep free from nasal symptoms.

Homeopathy is based on the idea that diseases can be cured by giving the substance that causes the disease back to a person in extremely small amounts. This is a similar to the principle used in immunotherapy, except in much smaller doses that have proven to be beneficial with using allergy shots.

Homeopaths prescribe “constitutional medicine”–a remedy that is chosen personally for the individual based on the totality of symptoms they have and not just the allergy symptoms.

Solid research has proven the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines in the treatment of hay fever.

Another good study on homeopathic treatment of allergic asthma was published in the Lancet.   The people in this study who were given the homeopathic medicine experienced significant improvement in their asthma symptoms.

Some of the specific remedies used for allergy and asthma symptoms are Allium cepa (the common onion), Euphrasia, Arsenicum album (arsenic, the mineral), Nux vomica, Pulsatilla (windflower, an herb), Histaminium, Kali bic, Natrum mur, Sabadilla, Solidago and Wyethia.

To learn when and how to use these remedies, consult a homeopathic guidebook such as “Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines” or “Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants”, or Dr. M. Panos and Jane Heimlich’s “Homeopathic Medicine at Home.”

You also can learn more about homeopathy by contacting:

Homeopathic Educational Services
2124B Kittredge St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 649-0294

Acupuncture Might Help

Acupuncture originated as a healing practice in China over 5,000 years ago.   The treatment involves inserting needles into the skin at certain points in the body to restore the balance of “vital flows.”   There are too few studies in regard to acupuncture and hay fever to decide if its effective.  It’s bound to help something.  What do you really have to lose but possibly your allergy symptoms?

In a German study published in the journal Allergy 52 people with hay fever received acupuncture treatments once a week as well as a Chinese herbal tea that was thought to be effective in treating allergic symptoms three times per day, or sham acupuncture and regular herbal tea.  After six weeks people who received the real acupuncture and herbal treatment noticed an 85 percent improvement.

In another study 72 children with hay fever received either real acupuncture treatments twice a week or sham treatments.  After eight weeks, improved symptoms and more symptom-free days were found in the patients who received real acupuncture as compared to those who received sham acupuncture.

The Importance of Drinking Water

Fluids help clear airways by hydrating mucous membranes: The wetter the membrane, the thinner the mucus and the more easily it can drain.  When you are having allergy asthma or allergy symptoms, be sure to drink that eight glasses of water we all hear so much about.

Vitamin Supplements Always a Good Idea

Food sensitivities or food allergy sufferers can benefit from taking a rich daily multivitamin with adequate essential fatty acids.  Sometimes this addition alone can correct any imbalance and soothe diet-related inflammation.

Another possible effective asthma and allergy natural relief treatment is a gentle detox program that includes a colon cleanse.  The purging of your GI system will help soothe inflammation.  It should be undertaken with the guidance of a health-care practitioner.

Chemical Sensitivities and NAET

If you are becoming increasingly sensitive to noxious fumes, air fresheners, perfumes, chemical odors and other synthetic fumes, it’s a good indication that your system is going into overload.  Chemical sensitivity symptoms include headaches, dry mouth, sore throat, coughing and rashes.

The recommended treatment for this condition is holistic and it is called Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques or NAET.  NAET is a non-invasive yet effective way of eliminating many sensitivities and allergies.  It uses a combination of therapies including nutrition, acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy (homeopathic), chiropraction (Chiropractic medicine), and kinesiology (the study of human movement).   Patients have been successfully desensitized so that they can even tolerate formerly offending substances without symptoms.

Finally, do consider taking up yoga or some other stress-relieving program.  Your allergies are connected to your emotions.  Less stress can go a long way in feeling better.

The Misery and Prison of Allergies/Asthma

Having allergies can be imprisoning.  You can’t go for walks in the country, woods  or even parks in some cases because of allergy symptoms.   You would just as soon stay indoors than go outside on a beautiful day to prevent the allergy suffering that  being outside would set off.  Many food allergy sufferers have to give up their favorite foods.  Some victims with cat and dog allergy symptoms can’t even go visit their friends who have dogs or cats.  And dating is difficult because you don’t feel all that attractive with your nose constantly running or when you are having sneezing attacks. How sexy is the “allergic salute” really?  The allergic salute, in case you haven’t heard the term, is the hand movement a sufferer makes as though attempting to move their nose into their forehead.  It’s definitely an upwards motion.  Part of it might be to attempt to stop all the constant drips, drips, drips.  Irritated bright red noses aren’t much in style either.  It’s a tough road to hoe all around.

And allergy sufferers are caught in a vicious cycle.  The enjoyment and benefits of exercise are hard to experience for reasons such as that their nose runs more than they can.  A runny or stuff nose leads to mouth breathing which leads to dry mouth and then to less efficient breathing which leads to less efficient overall functioning.  In other words, it’s hard to attempt to change your life or get healthy with exercise  when you feel like hell every day.  And, in a sad irony, when the weather is good for outdoor exercise, it is at the same time horrible for those with seasonal allergies to trees, grasses and pollens.

Keeping in mind how much allergy sufferers don’t deserve to live in this allergy prison, here are some suggestions for things to try after you’ve tried everything else for natural allergy relief.  Some are well-researched to be effective and others are known by their word-of-mouth testimonials which may or may not be accurate for you.  It’s all worth a try as long as it doesn’t hurt you or make your condition worse.

Learn How to Breathe

Speaking of mouth breathing, it is very important that you learn to breathe fully.  Correct breathing can change your life according to some doctors and most yogis.  Most people, let alone allergy victims and those with allergic asthma, breath shallowly through their mouths.  The rib cage has a natural squeezing effect to help get out that deeply drawn air.  Add stress to the picture and the rib cage squeezes our heart and lungs, forcing us to breathe like rabbits–little, shallow, upper-chest breaths, 28,000 times a day.

Here is an exercise to measure whether you have sufficient respiratory capacity:  Go for a walk while breathing deeply in through your nose.  Count how many steps you take for one full inhalation and exhalation.  Respiratory efficiency may be measured to be at least 21 steps per breath through your nose.   If you attempt a moderate run, you should not have to open your mouth to breathe.

Breathing techniques and yoga can be beneficial in terms of mental well-being and improvement in quality of life scores for people with allergy asthma. However, studies on techniques such as Buteyko breathing, Sahaja, Hatha and Pranayama yoga fail to show any consistent improvement in asthma symptoms or definite improvement in lung function testing. No studies are available for allergic rhinitis.

Other Alternative Treatments to Consider

We have discussed homeopathy and herbal medicine among other natural treatments for allergy symptoms, and, of course, it is a treatment system that has been practiced for hundreds of years.  There are some other natural allergy relief treatments that are newer (in some cases) but may be well worth looking into when you are desperate for improvement.  Other forms of natural remedies are:

Apitherapy

The medical use of honey bee products.  These can include the use of honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom.

Applied Kinesiology

Chiropractic diagnostic method using manual muscle-strength testing for medical diagnosis and a subsequent  determination of prescribed therapy.  According to followers of the theory, it  gives feedback on the functional status of the body.

Aromatherapy

A type of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic componds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person’s mood or health.

Ayurveda

Indian alternative medical system.

Biofeedback

A non-medical process that involves measuring a patient’s specific and quantifiable bodily functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, sweat gland activity and musicle tension, and conveys the information to the patient.  This raises his awareness and gives the possibility of conscious control of those functions.

Buteyko

Complementary type of medical treatment that focuses on breathing.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Also known as TCM is considered an alternative medical system in the Western world, although considered mainstream medicine throughout East Asia.  Includes such practices as herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary therapy, and both Tui na and Shiatsu massage.

Color Therapy

Also known as chromotherapy or colorology, it is an alternative medicine method that uses color and light to balance energy in whatever areas the body may be lacking, whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual or mental.

Flower Essences

Also known as Bach flower remedies, are dilutions of flower material developed by Edward Bach, an English physician and homeopath in the 1930′s.  The remedies are primarily used for emotional and spiritual conditions.  Remedies are mostly taken orally.

Gemstone Therapy

It is based on the belief that gemstones contain life force which is the divine energy that sustains, nourishes and enlivens all living things.  The flow of this light force may become blocked and create dark clouds in a person.  Gemstones are used for their power to radiate the life force.

Herbology

Iridology

An alternative medicine technique whose proponents believe that patterns, colors and other characteristics of the iris can be examined to determine information about a patient’s systemic health.

Macrobiotics

Meditation

Music Therapy

Naturopathy

Also known as naturopathic or natural medicine.  It is an eclectic alternative medical system that focuses on natural remedies and the body’s vital ability to heal and maintain itself.

Look into some of these alternative and complementary types of medicine treatment.  Miracles happen all the time and you just might find yours.