I honestly had no idea how bad allergies could get until I was in college. While many suffer all year long, where I live allergy season kicks in most during fall and spring, usually resulting from grass and tree pollen, air pollution, even mold under fallen leaves.
I’m happy to share some natural remedies that have helped me alleviate the itchy eyes, sneezing, and chronic runny nose that I suffered from for 12 years. I must remind you that this journey won’t result in instant relief but once you get a handle on these methods you too can enjoy being less symptomatic too!
….But first let’s share a little PSA about what causes allergies.
What Can Cause Allergies?
Your gut is the cornerstone of health and when it comes to allergies it has everything to do with the response from your immune system. As foods, environmental factors etc enter your body it creates a reaction. If over stimulated the bodies natural response is to act as if there is an intruder and try to expel it from the body.
How to Treat Seasonal Allergies Naturally
Probiotics
Allergies are usually due to imbalances in the immune system function and there is strong evidence that improving the bacteria in the gut can reduce the incidence of allergies.
How I use this: I love to eat fermented foods such as Kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut to boost gut bacteria as well as ingest daily high quality, probiotics with live cultures and a slow release capsule. These truly have made a massive difference for allergy relief.
Neti Pot
So this one weirded me out for a long time because I’m not really trying to see something go up one nostril and out another. However after trying it prior to adding some of these additional options I can say the benefits were evident.
How I use this: Use distilled or previously boiled water (warm water is ideal) and add a pre-made saline solution into the pot. While standing over the open sink pour the solution thru one nostril, letting it drain out the other side, lightly (and I mean lightly) blow your nose and repeat thru the other nostril. Although I no longer have allergies enough to use this method here is the pot I used to use.
Honey
The scientific evidence for raw local honey and allergies is a bit inconsistent, however many swear by it and I myself did see benefits from taking it daily despite not being a lover of lots of sweets. The idea behind this is to ingest a spoonful of local raw honey that is collected from an area close to where you live to help you manage the environmental allergens you are more often exposed to.
How I use this: About 3-4 weeks prior to allergy season is a great time to start this method. If you can find a local farm that supplies raw local honey in your area, take a teaspoon a day.
Dietary Changes
Dietary changes are a huge factor into removing inflammation in the gut and helping relieve allergy symptoms. Look to reduce and remove inflammatory foods such as sugar, dairy, gluten, soy, and corn.
How I use this: Adding in bone broth, more leafy greens and vegetables, and more natural herbs and spices helped me tremendously to reduce inflammation and allergy responses. For more info on bone broth check out my blog here.
Using Non Toxic Home Cleaning Products
This by far was one of the biggest game changers for me and my allergy relief and it way too often overlooked as the focus often remains on outdoor allergens. Let’s be clear-you’re indoor environment is just as or more toxic than the outdoors. Using plugins, aerosol sprays, bleach, greenwashed cleaners, and retail brand disinfecting wipes have known side effects to your respiratory system, hormonal system, and even your skin.
How I use this: After tons of research I ditched all my spray cleaners, candles, bleach based products, and cleaners for one household cleaner that is exclusively plant based and safe for all surfaces as well as a diffuser with high quality essential oils so my home smells fresh while helping my respiratory system. Total game changer! Make sure to start that ditching process so your home remains your sanctuary!
These were just a few of the most effective methods I used to get full allergy relief. For another tips take a sneak peak at my blog on MSM. The benefits were tremendous in helping heal my gut, allergies, and clear up my skin issues!
