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Archive for the ‘Seasonal Allergies’ Category

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you are definitely not alone. When it comes to dreadful times, the phrase “allergy season” is up there with “tax season”, “finals week”, and “the yearly visit with the in laws”. Allergies affect millions of Americans every year. Although there is no way to eliminate allergies altogether, there are some things you can do to avoid some of the most common allergens.

The main allergens include pollen from trees, grass and weeds, mold, animal dander, and dust. Allergies that occur in the spring often arise from tree pollen. Allergies in the summer are often from grass and weed pollen, and allergies in the fall are often from ragweed. Mold allergies are usually worse during humid and rainy weather because mold is more common where water collects. Proteins found in the skin, saliva, and urine of furry pets such as cats and dogs are allergens. Many allergens, such as dust mites, are in dust. They live on dead skin cells and other things found in house dust.

There are some things you can do to help avoid these common allergens. To avoid pollens, it’s good to shower at bedtime in order to wash off pollen in your skin or hair. Staying indoors as much as possible on dry or windy days may also reduce your allergies. You can minimize the amount of mold in your house by frequently washing shower curtains, windows, and other places where mold may grow. Opening doors and windows and using fans can increase air movement and prevent mold. Unfortunately the only way to avoid pet dander is to give away your pets, or stay away from other people’s as much as possible. No matter how cute Rover and Trixy are, they won’t help your allergies. As for dust mites, frequently cleaning carpets and curtains, and dusting appliances and other surfaces will reduce your allergies.

Also, remember that allergies can make you more susceptible to a catching a cold. Be sure to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, avoid touching your eyes and nose, and wash your hands often.

If you are one of the many people suffering from these seasonal allergies, there are things you can do to lessen the severity of your symptoms. Follow these simple tips as best you can and the term “allergy season” won’t give you that sick feeling in your stomach anymore!

Seasonal allergies can make you miserable this time of year. From the itchy eyes and watery noses, the symptoms can be unbearable. While nothing guarantees that your allergies won’t flair up this season, there are some helpful tips that you can follow that will lessen the effects they have on your life. Don’t let seasonal allergies ruin your day, put these tips to work for you!

1. Step one requires a trip to your doctor. Make sure you get the proper treatment to help with your allergy symptoms by discussing the severity of your allergies with a physician. They will be able to conduct tests and make observations, and from that make proper recommendations for your specific allergy symptoms.

2. Step two is identifying your allergy triggers. This not only can help you stave off potential attacks, but can also be a great way in predicting the severity of your allergies in a given season. While other factors, including weather, are contributors, using the allergy forecast available from your local news channel is the best way to predict the severity of your seasonal allergies.

3. Step three is to protect yourself at all times. This can include simple procedures such as wearing a mask when gardening or mowing, and wearing sunglasses to limit the amount of pollen entering your eyes. All of these small steps can help keep your seasonal allergies from being unbearable. Also, try limiting your outdoor time to early mornings and late evenings. Plants are less active during this time, and flair ups will be less prevalent.

4. Step 4 is to watch the food you consume. While it may seem like a nonsense notion, certain foods have been shown to cause ragweed allergies to be intensified, and thus make your allergy break outs more severe. Try experimenting, and see which foods cause you more discomfort to weed out your triggers.

5. The fifth step is to keep your house clean and your windows closed. While it can be tempting to leave your windows open, doing so brings all the things that trigger your allergies inside. This leads to poor sleep quality, which impedes the immune system and may cause your seasonal allergy symptoms to worsen.

Here in the triangle, if you suffer from seasonal allergies, you’ve probably already started to notice that familiar tickle in your nose and throat that signals the arrival of spring pollen. Maybe you’ve been sneezing, have been mildly congested or had a runny nose, or perhaps you’ve even noticed some mild burning of your eyes or itchiness of your skin. All these symptoms, from a Chinese medical point of view, point to the climactic influence of the spring season – wind.

Chinese medicine views seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms as being primarily caused by the pathogenic influence of wind. Wind is qualified by symptoms that occur quickly, are rapidly changeable, affect mostly the upper part of the body, and occur at a very surface level – for example, mucous membranes and skin. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, those of us with underlying deficiencies, often of the spleen, kidney, or lung, are especially susceptible to invasion by wind, and, therefore, conditions like seasonal allergies.

Luckily, there are many natural options to help relieve allergy symptoms. One of the best choices for effective and side effect free treatment is acupuncture. Acupuncture works incredibly well because it not only relieves current symptoms, but also balances the immune system and corrects underlying deficiencies to help prevent symptoms from recurring. Regular treatments are most effective during allergy season, ideally starting acupuncture therapy a few weeks before symptoms hit their peak.

Chinese herbal medicine is another very effective choice, and can be combined with acupuncture for faster results. One of the most basic formulas used during allergy season is Jade Windscreen (Yu Ping Feng San). This formula is incredibly simple and elegant, comprised of only three herbs – one that expels wind (Ledeboureilla root), one that supports the lung system (Astragalus root), and one that supports the spleen system (Atractylodes). The simplicity of this formula also makes it highly adaptable for each individual patient’s presentation.

Using a neti pot can also be of great help during allergy season. Nasal irrigation with saline can be extremely effective at washing allergens out of the nasal passageways and preventing an immune response. Additionally, the saline helps to moisturize the nasal membranes and control swelling. Goldenseal and/or grapefruit seed extract are great additions to the traditional saline wash.

Supplements can also be of great support to your system this time of year. Quercitin can help to normalize the histamine reaction, Bromelain thins mucous and reduces nasal passage swelling and inflammation, and good quality probiotics help to normalize large intestine and gut function and, therefore, support the immune system as a whole.

Remember, there’s no reason to suffer this season. Try some of the many natural options available to you to find relief from allergy symptoms!

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