Antihistamine - Carson Natural

Don’t Let Your Allergies Keep You Inside This Spring!

March 19, 2016 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Spring Is here! In North Mississippi, where I live, the flowers are already blooming, the trees are turning green, and the pollen is already in the air. Everything is beginning to be covered with that awful yellow dust already. According to the reports I am seeing, the pollen counts are going to be much higher this year than last year. I hope that you have already started to follow my preventive recommendations I talked about in last week’s blog. Even though this Spring looks to be shaping up to be a pretty bad one for allergy sufferers, I believe that you can lessen the severity by following my recommendations.

If you haven’t started taking something to combat the allergy symptoms, then start today! If you cannot or do not desire to take one of the antihistamine medications on the market, then please consider one of these natural products or therapies that I use myself and recommend to patients regularly.

One of the best things that you can use to prevent and treat the annoying allergy symptoms is a Neti pot or saline nasal wash. You should use these at least twice a day to wash the pollen from your nostrils. There are lots of different types of Neti pots and saline washes in your local grocery stores. I use them both and find them to be very helpful in decreasing the severity of my symptoms. It is also a good idea once you have come in from the outdoors for the evening, to take a shower and wash away any pollen from your hair and skin.

One of my favorite supplements that I take and recommend, is a product called Pcynogenol, also known as OPC’s. OPC stands for ogliomeric proanthocyanins, a natural phytochemical compound found in french pine bark extract and grape seed extract. This unique compound has been extensively tested in hundreds of medical studies world wide and was found to have many health promoting benefits. Two such benefits are its anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine effects. It is the histamine reaction in our bodies that causes all of the allergy symptoms. OPC works by blocking the release of histamine. One of my favorite things about OPC’s is they do not have the side effects that the antihistamine medications do. Because of its anti-inflammatory effect, OPC’s have been found in medical studies to be very helpful with asthma attacks as well, which are often a result of the allergy symptoms. If you choose to try an OPC supplement for your allergy symptoms, I urge you to be wise in your choice. As with all supplements the quality can vary greatly. So choose a high quality well respected brand. The general recommended dose is 50 mg twice daily.

Other products that I recommend often for combating allergy symptoms are homeopathic medications. These are over-the-counter medications that are designed to prevent and counteract the allergy symptoms. Homeopathic products have been around for centuries and are used by practitioners all over the world everyday to treat all kinds of health issues. There are homeopathic products on the market that are specific for pollen allergies. There also products that are specific to other types of allergies such as grass allergies and weed allergies. I have personally used some of these products and have gotten great results.

As with any natural health product I advise you to always consult with a qualified health care professional before taking, especially if you are taking any other types of medications or supplements, as there may be potential interactions between them.

If you are an allergy sufferer seriously consider these recommendations and don’t let this allergy season keep you from enjoying the true beauty and pleasure of spring time. You don’t have to be the person that is constantly sneezing, coughing, gagging, and spitting! If you know someone else that is an allergy sufferer please be a good friend and share this information with them.

If you have any questions about seasonal allergies or any other health topic for that matter, please send them to [email protected]. Your question may be featured on The Feeling Good Podcast, but you’ll have to listen to find out! You can click the logo to subscribe through iTunes!

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

Do You Need Natural Allergy Relief This Spring??

March 11, 2016 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Springtime is almost here! Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love to see everything turning green again, all the colorful flowers and trees budding and blooming, warm days and cool nights, longer days and later sunsets, I love it all! Well except one thing that is…allergy season!

That is the one thing though that is not so lovable about springtime to me and to many others. For a brief period of time during spring, because of all the pollen produced by all the beautiful flowers and trees, springtime means misery. Itchy eyes, runny nose, itchy skin, headaches, earaches, sneezing and coughing are some of the reasons it can definitely be a miserable time for some. Everybody suffering from these symptoms is looking for relief. Most people find that relief with prescription and non-prescription medications such as anti-histamines, steroids, nasal sprays, or injections. Because of the side effects associated with these medications, more and more people have been seeking out and inquiring about natural alternatives. Over the past several years, I have discovered quite a few good natural alternatives for allergy symptoms that I will share with you over the next several blog posts. One of the best things you can do to lessen the severity of allergy symptoms is to take preventative measures now. I and many others have found the following preventative recommendations to be very helpful, and I have no doubt that you will as well if you take the time to implement them now.

First there are several common sense things you can do to lessen the amount of pollen you are exposed to. If at all possible try to stay indoors on the days when the pollen is at its worst and make sure you have new filters in your heating and cooling systems that are designed to trap more of the pollen that can enter into the house. If you do have to be outside there are pollen masks that you can purchase at your local pharmacy.

The second recommendation is to find a bee keeper in your area and buy some honey from him or her. Even though there are no scientific studies to prove it, raw unprocessed local honey can be very helpful in preventing the allergy symptoms. I have tried this and know many others who have as well, and they will tell you that it does make a big difference. My suggestion would be to take at least a teaspoon of local honey two to three times a day starting now before allergy season is in full bloom and to continue throughout the season. Honey has been around since the beginning of time and is spoken about in the Bible on several occasions and has been used throughout history for various medicinal purposes.

Proverbs 24:13 – My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste

There are many references to the Promised Land, the land Moses was leading the Israelites to after leaving Egypt, being a land flowing with milk and honey.

In 1 Samuel 14, Johnathan, after winning a great battle against the Philistine army, is walking through a forest that was oozing with honey, the Bible says. You can imagine how exhausted Johnathan would have been having just fought a battle, and in verse 27 it says, “so he reached out the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.” Now that is the kind of honey that I want, honey that replenishes your energy!

If you have a local farmer’s market in your area, that is a great place to look for a local beekeeper selling their raw unprocessed honey and a great way to support local business as well!

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

P.S. The latest episode of the Feeling Good Podcast is live now! Check it out today