RSS Allergy season in full bloom
By Celeste White • May 8th, 2008 • Category: Village Voices
Allergy sufferers and those who love them know that allergy season is here and it’s been brutal. For those who are interested in natural remedies to manage their misery, I’ll share what I have found to be the most helpful and effective:
For itchy eyes, you can try some herbal eye drops for allergies by the brand name of Simulasan. (I believe they are available at Orchard Nutrition.) Also, rinsing your eyes with cold water (don’t rub! that will make things worse!) and then using some drops like Allergan lubricant eye drops to moisturize your eyes feels very nice. And one of my favorite remedies that is available online from originalswissaromatics.com is Myrtle hydrosol. (Hydrosols are the distillates produced from making essential oils.) Soak a cotton pad with cold water and squirt about twelve squirts of the hydrosol on it and then pat or gently (gently!) wipe your eyes with it. It’s very, very soothing. Let me repeat: As much as your eyes might itch, don’t rub them! Rinse them in cool water or use drops.
An herbal remedy that my acupuncturist turned me onto for sneezing and itchy eyes is Health Concerns’ Xanthium Relieve Surface. Google it on the Internet - several places carry it. You take three tablets three times daily; 90 tablets comes in a bottle, so one bottle is 10 days’ worth.
Also, the allergy drops and tablets I mentioned in February’s article for preventatives work well as symptom relievers, too (Bioenergetics’ Allergy Drops and Unda’s Allergiplex tablets). Another very helpful homeopathic remedy is Heel’s Histamin tablets - homeopathic histamine. It’s available from allnaturalusa.com.
Quercetin and Nettles are tried-and-true remedies for the height of allergy season, recommended by integrative medicine guru, Dr. Andrew Weil.
If your sinuses are totally stopped up, a pleasant, effective herbal nasal spray you can try is Sinusin, formerly called Euphorbium. You can use it without fear of becoming habituated or experiencing rebound effects. This product is also available from AllNaturalUSA. Two sets of acupressure points that help open sinuses are right below your cheekbones in the socket there and right on either side of your nostrils where the bone curves in just a bit. Use your thumbs or index fingers to apply pressure for a couple of minutes or so. You can repeat this as often as necessary.
A few more tips: Pollen counts are higher in the morning than in the afternoon, so doing your outdoor work or exercise in the p.m. is a good strategy. If you work in the yard, wear a dust mask and shower when you come in. Avoid drying your clothes outside this time of year, too, or you’ll coat your clothes with pollen and bring it inside.
Finally, here is a remedy that lots of people swear by: I don’t enjoy it but I will do it when I’m desperate and that is to irrigate your sinuses with warm, dilute salt water. Anyone wanting more details, let me know. It helps to clear out the pollen and gives you a breather. Sorry for the pun - couldn’t resist!
A word about non-drowsy antihistamines: They are lifesavers for those who can use them without experiencing side-effects. But they are very powerful drugs and, unless advised to do so by your physician, you should never double the dose, either the over-the-counter ones (e.g., Zyrtec and Claritin) or prescription ones; there have been cases in which this has proved fatal. Also, some of these drugs interact with grapefruit juice, either by concentrating the dose (which can have the same effect as doubling the dose or more) or lessening their effectiveness. Check with your physician or pharmacist to see if your antihistamine is one that is affected by grapefruit juice if you are a grapefruit or grapefruit juice aficionado.
Oh, yeah - and when it’s really windy? The best thing to do is get out that old Hazmat suit that you bought for the anthrax scare/SARS outbreak/bird flu flap, put it on, and don’t take it off until the winds die down.
Celeste White is a writer and artist who lives in Redding. She is the author of the books, “Natural Asthma and Allergy Management” and “The Natural Remedies for Common Ailments Handbook.”
Celeste, This is good stuff, and thanks for the info! Even my husband, who had never suffered from allergies, is now feeling the effects of the north state pollens. I’ve recently had several people recommend the sinus flushing you mentioned. I’ve heard it’s good to do on a regular basis to keep the pollen out of the sinuses. What is your opinion on that? Thanks again for the informative article. Take care, and I’ll be looking for you in your Hazmat suit!
Thanks, Canda - glad to be of help! I hope some of these remedies can give your husband some additional relief. Yes, as long as you’re suffering from hay fever, keeping your sinuses flushed out regularly is a good idea if you don’t mind doing it.
My acupuncturist, who instructed me in the process, suggested making up a solution of warm (not hot) water and Celtic sea salt (which he said would be less drying to the sinuses than regular table salt) in a clean, small bowl. He recommended that the water taste about the same as sea water (about 1/4 tsp salt to a cup of water), to avoid having it be too concentrated, which would definitely dry out your sinuses. Then he suggested filling an irrigation bulb (available at any good drug store) with this solution, tipping your head back, and gently squeezing the saltwater into each nostril, enough that the liquid fills your nose and starts to trickle into your mouth. Do this a few times. Have a towel and some tissues handy to spit out the excess saltwater and blow your nose. Plain water doesn’t work for this procedure as it can cause the tissues to retain water and swell.
Some people use what is called a neti pot, which is available on the Internet and at health food stores. I’ve found the above method serviceable so I haven’t tried a neti pot, but lots of people really like them.
Twice a day is probably as often as you would want to perform this procedure; maybe three times if you’re really suffering (I usually do it once a day, before I go to bed at night). Any more than that might start to irritate your nasal passages or alter the environment of your sinuses in a way that could hamper their ability to resist infection. And if you are already suffering from a sinus infection, either viral or bacterial, I’ve read that irrigating your sinuses is not recommended as it might spread the infection. Check with your doctor if you have any concerns.
You know…I moved here to the beautiful Okanagan Valley in B.C. from Ontario ten years ago…never had allergies at all until last year. The lady at the natural health store that I deal with recommended “Allergiplex” homeopathic tablets…they worked great for me so I would suggest to anyone that you give them a try.