Spring allergies can cause sneezing, congestion, runny nose and other cold-like symptoms. However, unlike the common cold, allergies are not caused by a virus. Allergies are the immune systems reaction to an outdoor or indoor allergen, such as pet dander, dust mites or pollen. Although you may have allergy symptoms year round, symptoms tend to intensify during the springtime.
Rinse Your Nose
The ABC News website recommends rinsing the nasal cavity to help relieve spring allergy symptoms. To do this, use a Neti Pot, a small pot that looks like a miniature teapot. Fill the Neti Pot with warm salt-water and tip it into your nose, flooding your nasal cavity. Regular use can help thin out the mucus in which bacteria breed on. According to Dr. Allan Sosin of the Institute for Progressive Medicine in California, bacteria can inflame the nasal passage lining, making you more susceptible to allergies.
Supplements
Try using herbs and vitamins along with your usual allergy medicine. The book "1801 Home Remedies" reports that this combination can help relieve allergy symptoms more quickly. Add a multivitamin that contains selenium, magnesium, and vitamins B, C and E to your diet.
Sip on a cup of chamomile or peppermint tea before bed each night. Or try an herbal supplement that contains pycnogenol or dried ivy leaf. In addition, you can take echinacea daily. For maximum effects, be sure to alternate use every two weeks---take it two weeks on then two weeks off.
Use an Air Filter
Use a HEPA filter in your house both day and night. Dr. Allan Sosin, of the ABC News website, explains that many people have troubles with allergies at bed time. This is especially true if you sleep with a pet or use a down pillow. In addition to the bedroom, a HEPA filter can help cleanse the allergens located in synthetic carpets, paints and cleaning products.
Eat Right
"1801 Home Remedies" suggests incorporating nutritious foods into your diet. Not only will this help you stay healthy, it can help tame spring allergies. A diet of healthy foods can help alleviate conditions like allergies and asthma, because antioxidants found in foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds, green tea and nuts all help control internal inflammation. When the nasal passages and lungs are less inflamed, allergies are easier to control.
References
- ABC News: Spring Allergies Are Back: Five Natural Ways to Put Them in Check
- "1801 Home Remedies"; Editors of Reader's Digest; 2004
- Mayo Clinic: Hay Fever
