Seasonal Allergies Part 1

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.