Allergy Symptoms: Natural Allergy Relief

Fall is one of the hardest times of the year for me because I suffer with seasonal allergies. I suffer with them during the spring too, but fall allergies seem to be worse. This fall allergy season came early for me because I am already suffering with sinus congestion, itchy eyes and a runny nose. (How I can suffer from a stuffy nose and a runny nose at the same time is beyond me!) Usually these symptoms do not show up till late September or early October.  If you have stock in Kleenex brand tissue, you are making money off of me this month!

The common symptoms of allergies include the ones that I suffer from, plus many others: runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, itchy nose and roof of mouth, sneezing, stuffy nose, sore throat (from drainage of sinuses), sinus pressure (around the cheeks, nose and forehead), trouble hearing because ears are full and popping (I have always described this as I feel like I am in a jar), dark circles under the eyes and hives. You can have any or all of these symptoms when you come in contact with something you are allergic to.

Things that can bring on these symptoms are pollen, grass, and weeds. These are the things that I am allergic to. We have plenty of ragweed in our area. For me, there really is not a way around it unless I moved.

Other things that can bring on allergies symptoms are: mold, animal dander and dust (I have plenty of this in my house because I love writing hub pages rather than dust!). Of course there are also food allergies that are very different for each individual person.

Natural relief of allergy symptoms are important to me. I have tried over the counter allergy medications, and they take away the itchy, watery eyes and runny nose. What I have found is that it then increases the amount of congestion I have making sinus pressure worse. I then find myself reaching for a pain reliever. It can be a never ending cycle.

I do not like taking so much medicine, especially while I am breastfeeding my baby. Some allergy medications that have decongestant in them can actually harm the amount of breast milk being produced. (See my hubs about how important it is to breastfeed your baby: Breastfeeding In The News-+9 and Breast Milk - The Best Diet For Your Infant.) Plus, there have not been very many studies to find out how some medications effect babies. This is the reason I have searched out ways to relieve the symptoms without using medications.

Ways to relieve allergy symptoms naturally:

• Drink plenty of water. Water will help thin mucous secretions as well as hydrate them. It is recommended that you drink your body weight in ounces of water a day.
• Do not eat foods that create mucus like: dairy products, red meat, fried and processed foods, wheat, eggs and chocolate. These foods can cause inflammation of the sinuses, plus they are not good for your immune system.
• Increase foods such as ground flax seeds, walnuts, and fish, can help reduce the inflammation of the sinuses.
• Eating honey can help those who suffer from a pollen allergy. Get honey that has been produced in your local area, or if you know what kind of plant you are allergic too, get honey that is derived from that specific plant.
• To help catch pollen before it enters the nostrils, put some Vaseline just inside your nostril.
• A way that I have relieved sinus pressure (especially when pregnant) is by taking a hot compress and a cold compress and applying each of them alternately. The cold compress will help open the sinuses up and the hot one will close them, squeezing out the thickened mucus. This will then help the pressure to subside.
• Dr. Oz recommends using a neti pot. This is a pot that looks like a mini-teapot. It helps to wash out trapped pollen and dust in your nostrils with a mixture of sea salt and warm water.
• Change clothes after being outside or after being around something you are allergic to.
• If you have pets that go outside, either keep them outside or bath them often to get rid of the pet dander, grass and pollen that may be in their fur.

 Allergy season can be a very miserable time, but hopefully with these few suggestions you can naturally relieve some of the symptoms.  Of course, avoiding the triggers is the best way to fight allergies, but it is not always feasible. 

If you have allergies, try these suggestions and let me know if they have helped you in anyway.  Do you have another natural way of relieving allergy symptoms that I have not mentioned?  If so, share with us!