We’re about three Kleenex boxes deep into allergy season and I’m battling a stuffy nose and losing sneezes as I bring you the best ways to stay healthy during the most irritating time of the year. I wasn’t able to, but hopefully you can keep yourself unscathed by a runny nose through spring by following these anti-allergy tips and avoid over-the-counter drugs.
The best way to prevent allergies is to first know what exactly an allergy is. Allergies are a body’s oversensitivity to drugs, foods, or things in our environment. They are commonly brought on by stress, but they are linked to a number of things. Polluted air, food, and water can lead to allergies. If you eat the same foods every day, your body can build up intolerance to it and you may become mildly allergic. The allergies that many are experiencing now, seasonal allergies, can be brought about by dust, mold, and the pollen of trees and other plants.
When you encounter something you are allergic to, your body releases histamine. This causes inflammation, which is the reason behind your miserable feeling. Many people take anti-histamines to battle this, but they do not solve the problem and often leave you feeling more fatigued than the allergies do. There are more natural approaches to battling the allergic reactions.
Vitamin C, Pantothenic Acid, and Citrus Bioflavinoids are all natural anti-histamines, much better than any over-the-counter nonsense pharmacies and drug stores try to sucker you into. They all stabilize the mast cells, which react when the allergen is inhaled and produce histamine.
Eating essential fatty acids is a proven way to lower symptoms from seasonal allergies, along with flaxseed.
Take the extra time to clean your house. Coming into a clean home every day will make you feel better in general, but it will also get rid of the dust and mold that’s giving you allergies.
If you usually get allergies during this season, then mold is almost certainly one of the main contributing factors. If you’re living like a slob then you’re definitely getting allergies.
When you go outside this time of year, you’re definitely bringing pollen back into the house, which is also going to make you breathe through your mouth and talk through your nose. Wash your clothes and yourself as soon as possible to get the pollen out of your house.
Following these tips will improve your chances of staying hive-free through allergy season, but they will not work alone. A healthy diet and exercise is essential to a strong immune system, which is the best way to prevent all illnesses and allergies. Trust me, going to Koret won’t hurt and it will save you the irritating allergy symptoms I failed to avoid. Is there anything more annoying than losing a sneeze?
