Effective Natural Remedies for Seasonal Allergies

Autumn had always been my favorite season. I loved the feel of harvest time, the crisp air, the smell of grapes on the vine, the bright oranges and browns, the way dry leaves are swept up in a whirlwind, the sound they make underfoot... until high school, when I began to experience allergies. The symptoms included itchy eyes and a post nasal drip that interfered with breathing. I tried the prescribed allergy pill only to experience cotton mouth and little relief. In my adult life I am able to enjoy fall again. Traditional medicine having failed me, I've done much research into homeopathic remedies for allergy symptoms, and I want to share some of what I have learned. Here you will find life-style choices that can alleviate your symptoms without the side-effects of traditional medicine.

I no longer experience allergies, and I believe that the major reason is that I started drinking herbal teas. For the spring, dried stinging nettle, dandelion and burdock leaves are nice, and in the fall I add golden rod flowers. The steam helps with respiratory symptoms, and adding a little lemon can help to break up mucus. Using tea with a variety of local plants helps to keep your body in tune with its environment. I was sensitive to breathing golden rod pollen, but not to ingesting it. Recently, there have been studies of various other allergens being given to patients by a dropper on the tongue in increasing doses over time until a resistance is built. It is a similar strategy to my golden rod tea. To make your beverage even more effective, and yummy, use honey from a local apiary.

Besides tea, changing your diet can also help to control seasonal allergy symptoms. Declaring myself vegetarian in a household of omnivores might have been part of a teenage identity crisis, a feeling of helplessness when faced with social problems such as the destruction of rainforests-- or maybe it was because I was developing allergies. Animal products contain arachidonic acid, which leads to the production of a hormone called leukotriene, which is involved in seasonal allergic response and asthma. Vegetarianism offers more anti-inflammatory foods, such as broccoli, buckwheat and blueberries.

Consuming a rainbow of nature's bounty is a good practice year-round, but some people also find supplements helpful when their allergies flare up. I am not one of these people. Garlic pills retain the compound allicin, which is lost in cooking and has anit-inflammatory properties, but using garlic and other spicy foods fresh can provide a more obvious and instant relief to respiratory symptoms. Echinacea is often taken for allergies, but I don't believe that it should be. Echinacea tablets are helpful for short, intense treatment and I take them when I'm about to have a cold, but the brief raise in immune response does not seem appropriate for allergies, since an allergy is an over-response of the white blood cells already.

This article has provided you with strategies related to the motto "you are what you eat", but you are what you do as well. Seasonal allergies can also be eased with regular aerobic exercise and steamy showers. Some people have found acupuncture useful, and I have friends who clear their nasal passageways with neti pots and warm salt water. I hope that you find what works for you.