Natural Alternatives to Allergy Medicine

Tired of taking allergy medicine every day just to sneeze and itch some more anyway. The doctor's bills get expensive and allergy medicine is not cheap if you do not have insurance that covers a prescription. Over-the-counter medications might work, for a while, but they may stop working after you have taken them for a while. For a more natural route to allergy relief you can try some of the alternatives mentioned in this article.

Acupressure

Acupressure, which is a touch therapy, can help to relieve a runny nose and itchy eyes by increasing blood flow to the face. To use acupressure at home try massaging the inner and outer edges of each eyebrow and the pressure point that is located between the nose and inner corner of each eye. Do this for thirty seconds at a time, up to three times a day. Acupuncture can also be used for allergy relief, but should be performed by a professional. Acupuncture uses fine filaments, that are usually called needles, to trigger different responses for healing in the body.

Probiotics

Probiotics help the immune system break down allergens, like pollen and dust. Probiotics can be found in supplement form at pharmacies and health stores.

Nasal Rinses

Nasal rinses are becoming a very popular choice in cleaning out the sinuses and helping fight allergies. The Neti pot can be used to easily rinse the sinuses out. Fill the neti pot with a mixture of sea salt and room temperature distilled water to flush out mucus and allergens.

Herbal Remedies

Herbs that help with allergies can be taken in pill form or drank as teas. Three of the best, and most common, herbs used for allergy relief are Goldenseal, peppermint and echinacea. These herbs help to decongest the sinuses, improve circulation, support the immune system and also help support the lymphatic system.

HEPA Purifiers

These filters, which can be found on many vacuum cleaners, help to filter out allergic irritants. HEPA filters can greatly help reduce hay fever and allergies to pets and other animals.

To help keep allergies at bay, be sure to keep windows closed during high pollen counts and try to stay indoors at these times, as much as possible. Immediately change clothes and shower after being outside around an allergen, or during a high pollen day, to remove pollen that may have attached to hair, skin or clothing. Also, keep the windows up on the car at these times and use the air-conditioning instead.

References:

The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs by Reader's Digest The Allergy Bible by Linda Gamlin