Ahh, seasonal allergies! We know they’re coming every year but they still hit us like a ton of bricks. Because they tend to be strongest in the spring and the fall, it’s a good idea to have our self-care measures in place so we don’t have to resort to medication like antihistamines. Catch Part 1 of this series to learn about the dangers of anticholinergics and simple things you can do to co-exist with your local environment.

In this post I’m sharing two more ways to support your body during allergy season. The first is for your head, and the second is more systemic.

Facial massage is incredibly helpful in easing pressure in the sinuses. I like to make an essential oil blend: in 1oz of carrier oil (sesame, coconut, jojoba) put no more than 7 drops of essential oil. Please, please, please do not put essential oils on your skin directly from the bottle. Always dilute them in a carrier oil. My favorite essential oils are a combination of mint—peppermint, eucalyptus, spearmint—and citrus—neroli, bergamot, grapefruit, orange, lemon.

Put a few drops of the carrier oil/essential oil combination into your hands and rub them together. Massage along the cheek bones and into the temples. Use your index fingers to make gentle circles around the eye sockets. Always be careful that you don’t get oil in your eyes. Also use your index finger to press gently on the inner part of the eye closer to the nose bone than the eye itself. Hold for 30-60 seconds and you’ll usually feel some drainage of the sinuses.

Slide your index and middle fingers downward several times with gentle pressure along the front of the ears and directly behind the ears. Also massage down the sides of the neck. All of these movements encourage the downward flow of mucous.
 
Herbs are another natural way to counteract plant allergies. The only caution here is that, if you know you have an allergy to specific plants, it’s best to do a little research on the herb before taking it. If it is in the same family as the plant you’re allergic to, it can make you feel worse not better.

By far the best herb I’ve ever taken for allergies is Butterbur. Capsules are easy to come by in the health food store. It has the advantage of working quite quickly, often within 24 hours.

Stinging nettles (or just “nettles”) has long been used for allergy relief. The dried plant can be taken in capsules or it can be even more effective if you grow the plant yourself and make tea from the leaves.

Rosemary is an herb you probably have in your pantry or growing in your yard. It is also a natural antihistamine. Make a tea from dried rosemary, supplement with capsules, use rosemary tincture, or mix some rosemary essential oil with a carrier oil at a stronger dilution of 14 drops per 1 oz of carrier oil and massage it on the bottoms of your feet, belly and the back of the neck.

Garlic is both antihistamine and anti-viral so it will help both seasonal allergies and colds. You can take garlic supplements if you like, or just add more raw and cooked garlic to your diet. Raw garlic opens your nasal passages so you can breathe better.

And breathing easier is what we all seek to do during allergy season.

I just learned of a scary new study on antihistamines in the Journal of American Medicine demonstrating a distinct increase in dementia in those who regularly use anticholinergic medicine. Yikes! Since antihistamines are a common medicine taken to combat spring and fall allergies, this is information we need to heed.

Ayurveda is the ancient medical system of India and, fortunately, it relies on natural remedies to heal body and mind. Ayurveda’s take on seasonal allergies is that they are a result of ongoing dryness in the body. This may explain why the antihistamines are so detrimental—they increase dryness in the body. Ayurveda says that when the body is dry, it produces mucus as a way of fighting off an allergen, whether it be ragweed, pollen or grass clippings. While an anticholinergic might provide symptomatic relief, it does not tackle the main cause of the sickness which is a weakened immune system due to dryness.

Ayurveda offers many suggestions for coping with seasonal allergies. We’ll look at a few in this post and offer a few more in the next post.

Eat local food. The most obvious is to eat food that is in season and grown in your local community. Why? Because local food has natural bacteria from the local microbiome which helps your internal microbiome develop a powerful immune response to allergens. Perhaps you’ve heard of the benefits of eating local honey and honeycomb. Visit your farmers’ market or grow your own vegetables.

Use water and oil to counteract dryness. One way to do that is to drink one half of your body weight in ounces every day. If you weigh 150 lbs., drink 75 oz. Favor fresh water with lemon or lime, herbal teas and fruit juices.

Use a neti pot each day to rinse your sinuses with saline solution. This is very effective in clearing out the allergens before they can cause a problem. There are excellent videos online to walk you through the process.

Put a drop or two of sesame or coconut oil in your nostrils every day. Sniff it in and massage the outside of the nostrils.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on steamed veggies and/or mix EVOO with balsamic vinegar to make a salad dressing.

Give these a try so you can feel better soon! Check back for more suggestions in the next post.