How to Prevent Spring Allergies

Spring brings the flowers, trees, and other plants to leaf, blossom, and spread their odor through the air. Even though, it enhances our mood, not all of us enjoy this fruitful season. People, who suffer from allergies, consider this period as a nightmare. Their watery eyes, running nose, and coughing point out on serious allergy. Their bodies react, mainly, to pollen with fighting response, creating a number of antibodies that strike allergens, releasing histamines. On the other hand, histamines cause all the symptoms we register as allergy: sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes and throat, etc. Allergy, also, increase the risk of asthma attacks. Because of these uncomfortable body reactions, it is good to prepare ourselves on time and minimize difficulties. The article “8 Remedies for Spring Allergies” suggests natural remedies as well as homeopathy in order to prevent spring allergies.

Try natural remedies.

Not a fan of conventional medication? Naturopathic doctor Doni Wilson, CNS, CPM, an active member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) and the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine (AARM), recommends patients take natural supplements like nettles and a plant pigment called quercetin to relieve allergy-induced runny nose, watery eyes, hives, and swelling. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, quercetin acts as an antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory, and in test tubes, it “prevents immune cells from releasing histamines, chemicals that cause allergic reactions.”
Another strategy: vitamin C. “Even something as simple as vitamin C can help,” says Dr. Wilson. “It’s a natural antihistamine, but it’s very gentle—you need to take 500-1000 mg., three times a day to reduce symptoms.”
Dr. Bassett opts for cayenne pepper and green tea to reduce allergic reaction without OTC medication. “Spices such as cayenne and chili pepper contain capsaicin which helps reduce nasal congestion and stuffiness,” he says. If you suffer from cedar pollen allergies, drinking a green tea called “Benifuuki” might be your best bet. A double-blind study in Japan found that “symptoms such as nose blowing and eye itching were significantly relieved in the Benifuuki group compared with the placebo group.”

…Or homeopathy.

For people who subscribe to homeopathy, a system of medicine based on the principle of treating “like with like”, Dr. Wilson, a longtime allergy sufferer who gets groggy on OTC medications, says a product called Triple Allergy Defense (available on TripleAllergyDefense.com, $29.95) works for her. With a dosage of 20 drops, one to three times a day, Triple Defense purports to reduce the duration and severity of allergy symptoms related to pollen, mold and dust. “The results are pretty immediate—you can tell within minutes that it’s helping,” she says.

With the current weather conditions and global climate changes, allergies become more present and intense. They even last longer. Studies have revealed that emissions of CO2 significantly increase the pollen count (determines the quality of allergens in the air). Even though we face these aggravating circumstances when fighting allergies, we can do much with a proper strategy. The one of the strategies could be an improvement of our immune system, and we all know what that means: regular exercising, healthy diet, and less stress. Another strategy can include avoiding and minimizing our encounter with pollen. In that sense, we can consider changing our clothes after spending time outside, do laundry inside, avoid going outside when the pollen count is high, etc. Combining natural remedies with other precautions, we can beat our allergies successfully.