Natural Allergy Relief Tips
Allergies can become a real nuisance. They interrupt your day and demand attention through the constant nagging of your symptoms such as runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, wheezing, or even itchy eyes, nose and throat. While you would like to get rid of, or at least control your pesky allergy symptoms, you are understandably hesitant to put something foreign into your body. Medications have their own set of ramifications to deal with and in some cases, the benefits do not outweigh the setbacks. If you are looking for natural allergy relief, you have come to the right place. There are ways to minimize your allergy symptoms without harming your body in the process. Here are a few tips for natural allergy relief.
- Steam your face and drain your sinuses: This will help reduce inflammation and irritation to the areas of your body that are the most affected by allergy symptoms. It will also help to reduce sinus pressure which can cause headaches. You can steam your face by taking a hot shower or applying a hot compress to your face. You can also purchase a steamer. Another option is to pour hot water into a bowl and then hold your head over the bowl for about 15 minutes. *Care should always be used as steam is very hot and can cause severe burns. Once you have steamed your face, drain your sinuses. Different postures are required for different sinuses. If you want to drain the sinuses located under your eyes, lie on your side opposite the location of the sinus that you wish to drain (so if you want to drain the left sinus, lay on your right side and vice versa). If you want to drain the sinuses between your eyes, lie on your back for 5 to 10 minutes. If you want to drain the sinuses located above your eyes, sit upright for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Work out: You experience allergic reactions as a result of your body producing histamine. Your body releases histamine because of the introduction of a perceived threat (i.e. an allergen like pollen, dust, and mold). Histamine causes irritation and inflammation of your airways and nasal passages in an attempt to expel the threat. Exercise can strengthen your immune system so that it is less sensitive to allergens. Exercise also improves blood flow and helps with breathing which strengthens the areas of your body affected by allergies. For the utmost in natural allergy relief, always exercise in a reduced allergen environment using a HEPA air purifier.
- Eat spicy foods: These foods increase blood flow and that brings oxygen to the nasal passages. More oxygen in the nasal passages will thin out and aid in eliminating mucous.
- Eat fresh produce: Fresh produce has all kinds of helpful vitamins that will work against the symptoms of and damage from allergies. Produce with deep hues (like blueberries, red grapes, pomegranates) are loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage that weakens your immunity system. Also, produce with beta-carotene (brightly colored) have high levels of anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory foods will decrease the swelling in your airways.
- Take natural vitamins and supplements: Many vitamins and supplements can help with your allergy symptoms. Vitamin C with bioflavoids is a natural antihistamine which will help relieve your allergy symptoms. CoQ10 and AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) are natural immune system boosters. Boosting your immune system will help prepare your body to fight off allergens in the first place. Vitamin A and B12 have natural anti-inflammatory properties which will help relieve allergy inflammation and ease the stress that your allergy symptoms place on your airways. Vitamin E, selenium, and grapeseed extract all boost your immune system. Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce respiratory based symptoms by reducing inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in foods such as flax seeds, almonds and fish.
- Drink lots of water: Drink water (4-6 glasses) often throughout the day. Fluids hydrate your mucous membranes. If the mucous membranes are nice and wet, the mucous will be thin which means that it will drain with ease. That, in turn, will help clear your airways for allergy relief. Ideally, it is recommended to drink water that has been purified by the process of reverse osmosis filtration. There are several bottled water brands that use this process for purification.
- Use a HEPA air purifier for allergy relief: Air purifiers are great for filtering allergens out of the air you breathe indoors. Your indoor air has all sorts of irritants and allergens swirling around in it (such as pollen, dust, mold, pet dander). All of these allergens can trigger your allergy symptoms leading to inflammation and irritation in your airways, nasal passages, nose, throat and eyes. One of the best natural allergy relief remedies is to eliminate allergens from you air. Taking allergens out of the equation in the areas that you most frequent (such as your home or office) will reduce the frequency of allergy attacks that you experience. It is important to make sure that the air purifier that you choose meets your needs and adequately removes the allergens that bother you the most. One air purifier product line that delivers quality results is the IQAir Air purifier line. The IQAir HealthPro Plus (the most popular model) removes an unbelievable 99.7% of body damaging particles all the way down to 0.3 microns in size from the air! They do this through the combined technology of a medical grade HEPA filter and 15 pounds of activated carbon and zeolite. This ultimate allergy relief solution cleanses your air of everything from dust particles, pet dander, pollen, mold spores, bacteria, germs, viruses, tobacco smoke, chemicals, and even odors. The IQAir HealthPro Plus is mounted on casters so it is easy to move and it comes in a soft white color so it will blend in with any setting. It is also energy efficient and ozone free. The best feature of this incredible machine is not necessarily the machine itself but the 5 year warranty that backs it up. That kind of warranty takes all of the guess work out of buying a HEPA air purifier. If you want to control your allergies, control your environment. Clean your air and offer yourself and your loved ones the best possible air quality and natural allergy relief. Experience the peace of mind and relaxation that comes with checking your allergies at the door. Look into an IQAir air purifier. You won't regret it!
Note: With all of the above mentioned vitamins and supplements be sure to consult a healthcare professional before starting a regiment. Doses will vary depending on the person and other medication that you might be taking in addition to these remedies. Read labels carefully before use. In some cases, supplements or vitamins can interact with other medications. Make sure that you know how much you should be taking and what medications react with the supplements or vitamins that you are taking before hand.