Seasonal Allergies

Get ahead of allergies by including stinging nettles into your regiment. Dried they add well to soups and make a delicious mineral rich tea. Your next visit I can make you a cup. I love gathering nettles this time of year and making soup. They are found at your local food coop or farm markets. I have a great encapsulated formula that I offer that has nettles, quercitin, bromelain and a bit of NAC in it that does wonders at decreasing  allergic reactivity. 

Think of decreasing your overall exposure to allergens: shower before bed to get the days pollan off of you, keep your bedding very clean, including your top blankets, keep animals out of the bedroom, if you have rugs get them dry cleaned, if carpet consider getting some sort of hard cleanable surface instead, consider an air filter in the bedroom such as Austin Air, and rinse your nose morning and night.

For sure you need to be rinsing your nose day and night. You can do this with a nasal spray that has antimicrobial agents such as grapeseed extract, some have homeopathics, some relay on xylitol which keeps organisms from adhering to the mucous membranes or you can neti pot. To use a neti pot start with filtered, distilled or boiled water (just in case of organisms in the water), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp xylitol to 1 quart water. Use 1 cup cold solution per nostril. I would have you add my favorite herbal tincture made of yerba mansa and horseradish. 1 squirt per cup. Come in for help with this is you have any questions.

Hot and cold compresses to the face before using a neti pot is great and can also be used if you are having a sinus headache. The general rule of thumb is 3' hot and 30" repeated 3 times, always finishing in cold. This process quickens circulation, which relieves pressure, brings inflammation gobbling cells to the area and drives debris away.

Commonly folks use corticosteroids the first sign of nasal discomfort but this is a something I rely on only in extreme cases. Most folks do just fine with these simple measures above along with an awareness of their gut health, any food allergies and an overall picture of their immune system's status.