You're probably wondering why I am talking about Spring Fever in March. Well let me tell you. What you do now can possibly help or hinder your seasonal allergy response later. When people take time in February or March to cleanse and purge, they can help the body with the processing of allergens. The key here is to do the cleansing before allergy season.
The liver is what "detoxes" the body and it has different pathways to do this. You can help the liver with this by supporting its inherent functions. The other thing cleansing can help with is lowering the overall inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the immune systems response to injury. When we eat inflammatory foods they affect our digestion and our blood. Lowering your inflammatory burden will help the immune system be less reactive to pollen and other allergens.
Do a liver cleanse: Take 3 weeks to help the liver function better. Herbs like milk thistle and dandelion root are a great place to start. If you have any liver pathologies don't do this without talking to your doctor.
Sugar & Honey: Cut down on sugar intake now. The holidays are far behind us and now is the time to cut down on refined sugar. 1 tsp of sugar can hinder your immune system for up to 4 hours. On the other hand, unrefined local honey can help with allergies. There are small amount of pollen in the honey that can help desensitize your immune system to season allergies, similar to getting an allergy shot.
Elimination diet: An elimination diet is best done under the care of a professional. By limiting allergenic food groups and reintroducing them one by one you can find out which foods increase your allergy response. I offer 2 cleanse programs that include the elimination diet and can help prepare you for allergy season.
Allergena Zone: This company, Allergena, has some of the best remedies for seasonal and pet allergies. So Many people have written or spoken to me after trying them to thank me for the suggestion. Just click on the map to find the remedy for your zone.
Allium Cepa Plex: this is a great combination homeopathic that helps with sneezing and runny nose.
Vitamin C has anti-histamine affects and can help with season allergies. 1000mg twice a day is a good place to start. I like Buffered Vitamin C with bioflavonoids. You can check out my blog on Vitamin C dosing if you have an allergy flare currently.
Quercitin: helps to stabilize mast cells membranes. These are the immune cells that make histamine.
Nettles: Nettle twice daily or nettle capsules are a great help with liver detoxification and allergies.
Acupuncture: It would be silly for me to overlook one of my favorite treatments for allergies and sinus congestion, acupuncture. The first time I ever had acupuncture, 20 years ago, I had a sinus headache that was so severeI could barely drive. A few needles and 10 minutes later, my sinuses had completely drained. I was a believer from that day forward.
Click here if you would like to purchase anything you read about. Just look for the Allergy Section in my online medicinary in Fullscript
*This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional.
*You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
*Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem.