Achoo! How to Naturally Manage Seasonal Allergies

I've suffered from allergies my whole life.  When I was a teenager, my eyes would get so red/itchy/puffy that I couldn't keep them open and had to stay home from school.  When I was in my 30's, I also developed severe food allergies, and became asthmatic every time I got a respiratory infection.  Over the years, I've had rounds of allergy desensitization shots, tried just about every prescription and over-the-counter allergy drug that exists, and inevitably ended up with many sinus infections from the continuous swelling of my sinus passages.  It was not until I decided to attack the problem naturally that I was able to put most of my allergy misery behind me.

When we react to an allergen, let's say a grain of pollen, what happens is that the invader latches onto mucous membranes somewhere in the lining of our respiratory passages.  This triggers our immune system to respond by releasing a chemical called histamine. It is the histamine that causes the sneezing, itching, and inflammation.  Pharmaceutical medicine seeks to counteract the results of the histamine (hence the term antihistamine).  When that doesn't work, steroids and other harsher treatments are employed.  Desensitization shots seek to get the body accustomed to the invader so that it does not react as strongly with the histamine.  Many people have some success with the shots, hence their continued use, but they never really did the trick for me.

What did I do?  A number of things that I would categorize as life-changing (thus the reason to include in my lightbulb moments).  I will go from global to specific, and what led me to each strategy.

My first lightbulb moment came from an observation - my husband had no allergies when I married him (he is very thankfully an extremely healthy individual), but after a few years of marriage began suffering from severe hay fever.  He joked that there must be a contagious element to allergies because he "caught them" from me. At first, I thought it was the fact that we changed states that led to his problem, but when I learned about the impact of food/nutrition on allergies I realized that the real change, was in his diet.  He had begun eating the same foods that I ate, and his body was reflecting that.

I began learning about the effect that foods have on the overall climate of the body when I began thinking about my body as a holistic system and not isolated parts or reactions.  Our body should be slightly alkaline, or tend toward the ideal pH of 7.30-7.45.  Unfortunately, the American diet includes an overabundance of foods that tip the scales towards the acidic end of the spectrum.  This acidic situation causes a constant state of inflammation in the body and gears it up to over-react to allergens.  You can actually test your pH level with a piece of litmus paper (using saliva or urine collected first thing in the morning, before eating/drinking).

The graphic below, which I found on happyherbivore.com, depicts how foods and drinks fall on the pH scale.  You can see that the typical American diet, which has us eating meals filled with animal proteins, sugars, and processed foods - is acidic.  This imbalance affects the balance of the good bacteria in our body, and allows pathogens like yeast (candida) to flourish, which puts us in a constant state of immune war. Allergic reactions and overall body inflammatory processes are the result.  Cells don't get what they need to thrive (or may even go haywire wild, as in cancer), and minerals are leached out of the bones - causing diseases like osteoporosis.  Joints become inflamed and arthritic.  It is harder to achieve a stable blood sugar and healthy hormonal levels.

As you can see from the chart, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will lead you back to a healthy pH balance.  You can try the specific remedies I recommend below, but the REASON THEY WORK is because they lead you back towards an alkaline system.  The best fix of all, therefore, is to try to adapt your diet to a healthier balance.  We completely eliminated carbonated drinks and artificial sweeteners.  We have replaced cow's milk or soy milk with almond milk.  We eat more fruits and vegetables, and try to eat something from the "10" area every day.  We have tried (I'm still struggling with this) to decrease cheese and chocolate. We eat sugary sweets only on a special occasion.

There is only one thing I disagree with on this chart - and that is the classification of vinegar as a 4, when raw apple cider vinegar (it says Mother's on it) is an alkaline-forming food.

The best foods to produce relief - include foods with "natural antihistamine" reactions.  This includes any colorful fruits and vegetables (red, blue, purple, orange, dark green), garlic/onions, apples, pineapple, and legumes.

In addition - adjust your environment.  When pollen counts are high, close your windows and use an air purifier.  Cover your mattresses and pillows with cases that discourage dust mites.  Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter on it.  Keep showers and other damp areas free of mold.  Bathe pets frequently (and keep them out of your bed).

Specific Strategies

1)  Saline solution - Very useful to rinse pollen invaders out of the nasal passages.  You might do this by buying saline in a squirt bottle, or using a Neti pot.  One of the most effective strategies and should be used frequently, especially every time you have been outdoors. Note: I personally cannot use a Neti pot because I have a deviated nasal septum and therefore get vertigo if I try to flush with lots of water.

2)  Mother's apple cider vinegar - Alkalizing reaction, one of the best daily treatments.  One (or two) teaspoons in a glass of water, drink each morning after breakfast.  A dramatic study on the peanut proteins that cause severe reactions found that if the proteins were treated with vinegar before ingestion, it decreased the antibodies to those proteins in the blood of the test subjects.  (http://www.ncbi/nlm/nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328733).  Of course, people with severe peanut reactions would not want to try even vinegar-soaked peanuts, but the study teaches us about the benefit of alkaline reactions for the rest of us.

3)  Green tea - which is very alkaline to the body, and contains a compound called EGCG (methylated epigallocatechin gallate).  EGCG blocks a reaction in cells that produces allergic responses.

4)  Essential oils - my husband swears by this.  He uses peppermint oil by putting a tiny bit under his nose when he has symptoms.  He says it clears his passages.  He has also used eucalyptus oil, sniffing it right from the bottle.

5)  Omega 3 fatty acids - Foods like salmon, albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, walnuts, and flaxseed help to fight the inflammation that comes along with seasonal allergies.  Eat two or three servings a day of high-omega 3 foods, or take a daily supplement (consult with your doctor before taking any supplement).  A German study found a link between omega-3 ingestion and a reduction in symptoms of respiratory allergies.

6)  Quercetin - This is a natural antioxidant that helps to control free radicals (and thereby decreases inflammation processes).  It is found naturally in citrus fruits, onions, apples, parsley, green tea, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and wine.  To get enough in the middle of a severe reaction season, take a supplement between meals.  Note:  Those with liver disease should not take this supplement - consult with your doctor.

There are also natural herbs you could try.  I've been gunshy myself, because I have a lot of plant and food allergy symptoms - and my other strategies have worked so well, I don't feel the need to experiment.  However, many studies have found excellent results from Stinging Nettle and Butterbur, and claim they are as effective as prescription antihistamines.

If you have any other natural strategies that have worked for you, post them here!