Allergy, allergy asthma symptoms and seasonal allergy symptoms can all be helped with some common sense natural allergy relief precautions  and good housekeeping/hygiene standards.

1.  Avoid going outside, especially on dry, windy days.

2.   Use air conditioner at home and in car.  Avoid open windows and doors.

3.   Remove houseplants to reduce mold.  If you can’t make yourself get rid of them, at least remove them from the bedroom.

4.   Reduce mold with frequent cleaning of shower curtains, bathroom windows, damp walls, dry rot areas and indoor trash cans.  Use a mixture of chlorine bleach and water to kill mold.

5.   Don’t carpet damp rooms such as bathrooms.   Use mold-proof paint in these areas instead of wallpaper.

6.  Reduce the humidity in your home to below 35  percent with a dehumidifier to help prevent the growth of mold and mites.

7.  Replace small-particle filters in your central air conditioning system.

8.   Take a shower and change your clothes immediately after spending time outdoors.

9.   Avoid yard work like cutting the grass.

10.   Don’t hang your clothes outdoors on a clothesline where they can get covered in allergens.

11.   Pollen levels are highest in the morning.  Schedule outdoor activities for afternoons or evenings.

12.  Wash your hands after petting an animal that’s been outside or if it is known that you have dog allergy symptoms or cat allergies.   Keep pets out of the bedroom if you are known to be allergic to them.   Bathe your pet frequently.

13.   Dust mites occur in anyone’s home no matter how clean. Symptoms of dust mite allergy include itchy and running eyes, itchy nose, sneezing, wheezing, coughing and dry, itchy skin.

To combat dust mite allergy, remove drapes, feather pillows, upholstered furniture, non-washable comforters and soft plush toys.   Replace carpets with wood or linoleum flooring.  Vacuum often with a vacuum that has a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA).  Vacuum soft furniture and curtains.  (You’re better off using blinds which can be wiped off than curtains.) Wash all bedding in water hotter than 130 degrees every 7 to 10 days.   Place an dust mite encasing around the mattress, box spring and pillow.  Tape over the zippers on these with masking tape for extra insurance.  Products such as benzyl benzoate or tannic acid are useful if there is wall-to-wall carpeting and it can’t be removed.

Leading allergists claim these  dust mite prevention techniques are much more effective than using HEPA air filter purifiers.

14.   Wear a disposable face masks (available at most drug and hardware stores) when cleaning, gardening,  or even just being outdoors when the pollen count is high and mold spores are being blown about on a windy day.   One ragweed plant can produce up to one billion pollen grains.  Each grain can travel more than 100 miles from its source.

15.  Children with allergy asthma should get a flu vaccine at the end of October before the onset of cold weather.

16.  Contact your family physician or allergist for proper evaluation and treatment of allergy symptoms.

Related posts:

1. Indoor Allergens – What they are and how to get rid of them
2. Get rid of indoor allergens
3. Natural Allergy Relief With Herbs and Home Remedies

Many allergy sufferers do not like the physical side effects associated with the regular use of antihistamines and decongestants. These drugs tend to make the user feel sleepy, foggy and groggy. With this reduced alert state the individual’s ability to concentrate and to operate machinery is compromised. Both agents also tend to dry out the body and to cause dehydration. Natural remedies can often be as effective as prescriptions without the unwanted side effects these medications cause.  They are far more inexpensive.  They offer less wear and tear on the body for those who frankly dislike taking prescription or even over-the-counter pills and medicines.

The American Academy of Allergy and Immunology did a recent study which showed that one out of every six Americans suffers from allergy symptoms of some kind.  Millions of people are afflicted with seasonal allergies such as hayfever due to ragweed allergy.  Millions have food allergies such as peanut allergy, wheat allergy and gluten allergy.  Millions have allergy asthma due to allergic reactions.  Millions have dust mite allergy,  And countless people have cat and dog allergy symptoms.   Trees, weeds, grasses, pollens, dust, pet dander, chemicals found in cleaning products…  The list of possible allergens goes on and on.

Herbal medicine has been around thousands of years, far longer than Zyrtec or Claritin.   It’s medicine you can trust with few side effects, low cost, added benefits, and sometimes the allergy treatment of choice.

If you don’t want to live on constant medications for your allergies, there are good alternatives.  Herbs can block your body’s histamines which set off allergic reactions.  Some plants are antihistamines and some have decongestant properties and provide natural allergy relief.

The primary antihistamine herb is STINGING NETTLE, which is one of the most popular herbs among those seeking natural allergy relief.  One study found that it may offer relief to people with hayfever.  Sixty-nine patients completed the study.  Of these 58 percent rated the freeze-dried preparation of stinging nettle effective.  Forty-eight percent said it worked as well or better than their conventional medications.  Typical dosage:  300 mgs. of freeze-dried nettle in capsules two or three times per day.

Were any of you blessed with a grandmother or mother who treated your chest congestion by having you bend your head over a steaming pan of water and eucalyptus with a towel over your head and the pan?  It still works today.    Get some eucalyptus oil and breathe in soothing relief that will open up those clogged passages and stop the wheezing and coughing  of allergy asthma.

Most natural allergy remedies loosen mucus and alleviate congestion and cough while they strengthen the body to ward off further allergic reactions.   Many are also anti-inflammatory agents that soothe mucus membranes.  Many also strengthen the immune system to help it to resist irritation from allergens.

Were any of you as children  blessed with a grandmother or mother who treated your chest congestion by having you bend your head over a steaming pan or sink full  of water and EUCALYPTUS with a towel over your head and the pan/sink?  It still works today.  Did you forget about that form of instant relief?  Get some eucalyptus oil and breathe in soothing relief that will open up those clogged passages and stop the wheezing and coughing  of allergy asthma.  Eucalyptus is both an antiseptic as well as a stimulant with expectorant and antibiotic properties.  It helps treat cough when given in lozenge form.  It is considered one of the best natural allergy relief remedies.

ALFALFA is one of the best allergy treatments for seasonal allergies like hayfever.  It is said to improve the runny nose, sneezing and itching that comes with that allergy to ragweed.  It nourishes the nervous system.  It calms the immune system and allows irritated mucus members to heal.  Unfortunately, some people have claimed allergic reactions to alfalfa.  Take it in small increments and monitor yourself for allergic reactions.  Take it in supplements or drink as a tea with honey to further sooth those mucus membranes.

An excellent cough remedy if you can find it is RED CLOVER wine.  Red clover is a traditional home remedy for allergy asthma and is most often taken in the form of tea.  It has even been used in “anti-asthma” cigarettes.  It has expectorant and antispasmodic qualities.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, as you probably know if you read natural health information, is a remedy for most everything.  Its healing properties are used to alleviate the symptoms of sinus infection that may develop along with allergy symptoms.  It can help with allergy reaction from exposure to pets, foods, and environmental agents.  It is rich in vitamins E, A, B1, B2 and B6 and contains potassium, calcium and magnesium.  It reduces the amount of mucus and soothes sore throats.

LICORICE ROOT in powdered form has been used since ancient times as a cough remedy.    It is anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy and has actions that are similar to cortisone drugs.  There are two kinds of licorice.  One is used to heal ulcers and is labeled DGL licorice.  For hayfever you want whole licorice and not the DGL type.  Do not use for longer than six weeks.  Do not use if you are pregnant or nursing, have high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, kidney, liver or heart disease.  If you are already taking corticosteroid allergy medications, consult a doctor before adding licorice to your treatment regimen.

Other supplements for people with hayfever and seasonal allergies:  VITAMIN C AND BIOFLAVONOIDS.  Antihistamine drugs inhibit histamine after its release.  These two supplements prevent its formation.    The recommended dose of vitamin C is 2,000 to 3,000 mgs. per day in divided doses.  For quercetin, an antioxidant and bioflavonoid,  it’s 500 mgs. two or three times a day.  It is found naturally in foods such as applies (with the skin on), berries, red grapes, red onions, capers, garlic, cayenne peppers and black tea.

ROSEHIPS – Found in supplements usually with vitamin C, it is the dark red or purple fruit of the rose plant.  It is one of the richest plant forms of vitamin C, which enhances the immune system and wards off illness.  It is commonly found in herbal teas blended with hibiscus.  It can also be found in jams, jellies and marmalades.

ASTRAGALUS has been used in Chinese medicine since ancient times to prevent and treat upper respiratory infections.  It has anti-viral properties and also stimulates the immune system by increasing T-cells.  It wards off invading agents and also increases the body’s ability to remove toxins.  Take as a supplement.

FEVERFEW, although best known for preventing migraines, possesses anti-inflammatory properties that may relieve allergies.  Scientific studies have yet to confirm this, but many herbalists view it as an anti-allergy herb.  You can nibble one to two fresh leaves a day or make them into a tea, however, the bitter taste may cause you to switch to a liquid extract or capsule.  Typical dosage:  up to three 400- to 500 mgs. capsules per day or 15 to 30 drops of tincture per day.  Do not use during pregnancy.  People who are allergic to chrysanthemums, daisies, marigolds and ragweed may be allergic to feverfew.

Related posts:

1. More Natural Allergy Relief Methods Proven and Unproven
2. Ways to Find Natural Allergy Relief, Prevention and Treatment
3. Even More Natural Allergy Treatments to Try After You’ve Tried Everything

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.

Related posts:

1. Natural Allergy Relief With Herbs and Home Remedies
2. Even More Natural Allergy Treatments to Try After You’ve Tried Everything
3. Ways to Find Natural Allergy Relief, Prevention and Treatment

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.

Related posts:

1. More Natural Allergy Relief Methods Proven and Unproven
2. Natural Allergy Relief With Herbs and Home Remedies
3. Ways to Find Natural Allergy Relief, Prevention and Treatment

Mangosteens are a tropical fruit that is helping people who suffer from allergy symptoms. It is in the powerful class of antioxidants called xanthones. Doctors are recommending it and there are a large number of testimonials as to its success in helping allergy sufferers.

Mangosteen, often called “the queen of fruit,” has been used for centuries by the people of Southeast Asia to relieve pain from inflammation and to control diarrhea and dysentery. Researches thought that if it could control intestinal inflammation, it should be able to control inflammation in other parts of the body as well.

Mangostin, one of the mangosteen’s xanthones, was found to be as effective as vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic. Xanthones are found in every part of the fruit. The highest concentration of them are found in the pericarp, or rind.

Many allergy sufferers have found natural allergy relief in this juice, which is supposedly great tasting. Of course, if you have peanut allergy, wheat allergy, gluten allergy or some other type of food allergy, you need to continue to avoid these substances.

Aloe vera once created a sensation when people found out about its healing properties for cuts, scrapes and burns. It truly is a remarkable plant, but aloe vera has only one xanthone. Mangosteen has 43 xanthones. It also has a 20 to 30 times greater ability to neutralize free radicals than most fruits and vegetables.

Related posts:

1. Coping with Seasonal Allergies in Traditional and Alternative Ways

Spring is here and for some 26 million Americans that means hello to ragweed, pollen, mold and other triggers of the seasonal allergies that make the seasons hard, if not impossible, to enjoy.   Television commercials are shown practically on top of one another telling viewers which products supposedly work the fastest on allergy symptoms, but none are fast enough for the poor  allergy sufferer who wants relief yesterday.

Increasingly, more allergy, allergic asthma,  and hay fever victims want relief without the side effects of prescription and over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants.   How can you go to work on a medication that warns you not to drive when you take it?  Why must  you endure another sluggish, foggy day because the only alternative, as far as you know, is to spend the day sneezing and blowing your nose?

The pills, sprays and other drugs have mixed results.  Allergy sufferers complain of fatigue to begin with, and the drowsiness of even the most “non-drowsy” formula of antihistamine takes its toll.  These medications are expensive.  You may not like taking medication, especially if you already have to take medicine regularly for some other condition.   You grow tolerant to them and they lose their initial effectiveness.  Or maybe you just don’t trust an artificial rather than natural solution to your health problems.  You think Mother Nature must have some resources in her natural medicine chest for your allergy woes.

Natural Allergy Relief

The news on that front is good and getting better all the time.  There are new research studies showing promising findings with herbs like butterbur, antioxidants like quercetin, fatty acids such as omega-3 fish oils,  ancient medical techniques such as accupuncture and more.   This article will look in depth at butterbur research.

The Herb Butterbur Proven In Studies

The herb butterbur has shown impressive results in control group research studies as a method natural allergy relief.  One drawback with this herb is that it is in the same plant family as ragweed, and so people allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemum, daisy or marigold should not use it.

It is not exactly understood how it works, but it is thought to work in a similar way as allergy medications:  It blocks the action of histamine and leukotrienes, which are the inflammatory chemicals involved in allergic reactions.

One study had 186 hay fever sufferers.  Some of these took a higher dose of butterbur, some a lower dose and some a placebo.  After two weeks, there were significantly greater benefits seen with the higher dose.

Another study had 330 people with hay fever take butterbur, Allegra (the antihistamine) or a placebo.  Butterbur was as effective as Allegra in relieving nasal congestion, itchy eyes, sneezing and other hay fever symptoms.

Teas, extracts and capsules made from the raw herb, and the raw herb itself, should not be taken because of substances called pyrrolizidine alkaloids that may be toxic to the liver and kidneys and can cause cancer.    When purchasing butterbur, which has been used in herbal medicine for centuries, look for the label to read “P.A. free.”

Related posts:

1. Ways to Find Natural Allergy Relief, Prevention and Treatment
2. More Natural Allergy Relief Methods Proven and Unproven
3. Natural Allergy Relief With Herbs and Home Remedies