By Previnex®
Spring has arrived, and while we’re ready for warmer weather and the trees to come back to life, we are not ready for the sneezing, runny noses, and itchy eyes that come with allergy season. (Get your tissues ready!) Luckily, we’ve got some remedies in mind to help keep you on your feet this season.
What Are Allergies
Before we get into the different remedies, it’s important to fully understand what exactly allergies are and how they’re caused.
Simply put, allergies are when your body overreacts to a harmless substance like pollen dust, or dander. We’re sneezing just thinking about it! When these things enter your system, your body freaks out and deems them threatening, so it does whatever it can to expel them (ie., sneezing). These reactions occur when your body releases histamine—a natural chemical our bodies produce to rid our systems of harmful particles. However, while histamine is intended to be helpful, it can increase blood flow, and in turn increase inflammation. This is when we deal with things like sinus pressure, headaches, etc.
The most common allergy symptoms are:
- Watery eyes
- Red, itchy eyes
- Stuffy or congested nose
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Red, itchy skin
- Hives or rashes
- Swelling
Sound familiar? For us, too. Now that we’ve run down what allergies are, what causes them, and the most common symptoms, let’s walk through some natural remedies to give you some relief this allergy season.
Natural Allergy Remedies
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar has so many healing properties, and taking approximately 2 tablespoons daily can help slow the production of those histamines we talked about earlier.
LOCAL Honey
There are many that believe consuming local honey can help alleviate some of these allergy symptoms. The most important part of this remedy, however, is that it’s LOCAL honey—honey derived from bees in your area. The idea here is that since the honey is produced from the same plants causing your allergies, consuming it can help decrease those reactions and increase immunity to local allergens.
Garlic
While it tastes good on pizza, in guacamole, and (let’s be honest) in just about anything, garlic is actually a natural antihistamine! Remember, histamine is a natural chemical our bodies produce to rid our system of harmful particles. General over the counter allergy medications are typically referred to as antihistamines.
Butterbur Supplements
Butterbur has traditionally been known as nature’s original antihistamine. It’s a member of the daisy family and has been used to treat headaches, inflammation, and more. Other names for butterbur are butterfly dock, bog rhubarb, blatterdock, and exwort. Taking this as a supplement can help alleviate common allergy symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and congestion. Note: butterbur is related to ragweed, so should not be taken by those with a ragweed allergy.
Grape Seed Extract
Grape seed extract has a large variety of health benefits. It’s rich in antioxidants, which can help our body fight oxidative stress—which is important for allergies. Grape seed extract can also reduce our blood pressure, improve blood flow, reduce the risk of heart disease, it goes on and on.
As it relates to allergies, however, during inflamed states (aka, when allergies are acting up), the body has an increased number of reactive oxygen species (enter: oxidation), which prolong inflammation and cause destructive reactions to occur. Antioxidants help to offset this oxidative damage, which in turn helps reduce that inflammation and the natural progression of allergies. The best ways to make sure you’re getting the optimal amount of antioxidants, you could take 2 tablets of grape seed extract per day, 4 tablets of Vitamin C per day, and 6 tablets of calcium/magnesium per day.
Get That Relief
While these remedies may not completely alleviate allergy symptoms, the hope is that it’ll decrease them and help you make it through allergy season. Give some of these a try and let us know what works best for you!
