The weather is finally starting to warm up in the northern hemisphere and the smell of spring is in the air. It’s a wonderful time to be outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, unless you happen to be one of the millions of unfortunate allergy sufferers. For you, this is a terrible time of year. Sneezing, an itchy throat and watery eyes make it extremely unpleasant to be outdoors. Not only are these symptoms annoying; they are exhausting if you struggle with them for most of the day and if they keep you up at night. A runny or blocked nose at night can make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep and leave you exhausted in the morning. People who suffer with sleep apnea usually find they are much worse at this time of year because the swelling and congestion in their airways make breathing even more difficult. Over the counter allergy medication works well for some people but the longer you use it, the less effective it tends to become. Some people cannot take it at all because they become excessively drowsy and find it difficult to function all day. People who suffer with allergies have an overly vigilant immune system. Their immune system has been chronically over stimulated, so that now they are reacting to harmless substances. Fortunately there are several effective ways to ease the burden of allergies.  

Here are six strategies for easing spring allergies:

Try avoiding dairy products and gluten. Surprisingly enough, what you eat each day determines how reactive your immune system will be to allergens that float in the air, such as dust, pollen, grass and animal hair. This makes sense when you remember that approximately 80 percent of the immune cells in our body live in our intestines. Having an allergy or food sensitivity can chronically over stimulate your immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to developing new allergies. Gluten and dairy intolerance are the most common food culprits in stimulating hayfever, allergic rhinitis or sinusitis. One of the ways these foods harm your immune system is by increasing the permeability of your intestinal lining. They actually make your gut leaky. This allows toxins that should remain in your intestines to gain access to your bloodstream, placing an enormous strain on your immune system. Glutamine is an excellent remedy for helping to seal and heal the digestive tract. It provides fuel for the cells that line our digestive tract, thus helping to repair and restore a healthy intestinal barrier. Glutamine supplementation can be found in our Ultimate Gut Health Powder. Include more antioxidant rich vegetables and fruits in your diet. These foods all reduce inflammation, and everyone with allergies is battling with excess inflammation in their body. Now that the weather is warming up, it’s the perfect time to reintroduce raw vegetable salads into your diet. Try to have at least one large salad each day. You will also gain benefits from making your own raw vegetable juices. The antioxidants will be in a super concentrated form and be easier to digest. See the recipe ideas in my book Raw Juices Can Save Your Life. Selenium is a mineral that reduces inflammation because it is necessary for glutathione production. Glutathione is a detoxifying molecule made by your liver that cleanses and detoxifies your bloodstream. It is difficult to get adequate selenium through diet for most people, because the soils are largely depleted of this mineral. Include more onions in your diet. There is a homoeopathic remedy for hayfever made of onions; however you’ll gain most benefits from including fresh onion in your meals. Onions are high in natural sulfur compounds which will help your liver to detoxify your bloodstream more easily. This will take some stress off your immune system. Onions are also very rich in a powerful anti-inflammatory substance called quercetin. Quercetin is a flavonoid compound that is related to vitamin C. Research has shown it can help reduce the symptoms of allergies, asthma, colds and flu. Specifically quercetin helps to stabilise mast cells. These are a type of immune cell that secretes highly inflammatory chemicals such as histamine and others. Therefore quercetin helps reduce levels of inflammatory chemicals in your body, thereby helping to alleviate allergy symptoms. Quercetin is one of the ingredients in my formula called Allergy Relief tablets. They also contain stinging nettle leaf (excellent for skin rashes), bromelain (anti-inflammatory enzyme from pineapple), vitamin C, magnesium and vitamin B5 (for the adrenal glands). Increase your intake of vitamin C. Most of us think of vitamin C in relation to colds and flu but it also has strong anti-allergy effects. Vitamin C helps to reduce the secretion of histamine from your immune cells. Histamine causes unpleasant symptoms such as redness, itching and watery secretions. Citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C but so are other fruits and vegetables such as red peppers, guava, kiwi fruit, passionfruit and broccoli. Vitamin C is very fragile and easily gets damaged by heat. If you eat lots of fruit and vegetables yet still suffer with allergy symptoms, you would greatly benefit from a vitamin C supplement. Increase the amount of good bugs in your digestive system. We all have approximately 3 kilograms of bacteria and other living organisms in our digestive tract. Most of them perform important functions to keep you in good health. You want to have more of the good bugs and less of the bad ones. Good bugs secrete anti-inflammatory substances and they nourish the immune cells that live in your intestines. Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and cultured vegetables are a good source of beneficial organisms. A probiotic supplement is also helpful. Try to minimize the amount of dust and mold in your home. You don’t have much control over the pollen and dust outside, but you can modify your allergen exposure at home. Wash blankets and bedding in hot water as this will kill dust mites. Make sure your home is always well ventilated, especially your bathroom. Preferably you should have your bathroom window open and the fan going while you’re having a shower. Clean your bathroom regularly so that mold is not allowed to accumulate. A combination of white vinegar and baking soda makes a great non toxic bathroom cleaner that easily eliminates mold. Allergies cause a great deal of discomfort at this time of year but there are several natural ways you can minimize the symptoms. Just about everyone is exposed to pollen, dust and other allergens but not everyone develops an allergic reaction to them. The health of your immune system determines whether or not you’ll suffer with allergies. The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not designed to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.