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.A poem about Ambien:
There once was a drug called https://dietitianlavleen.com/where-to-get-ambien/
That tasted a lot like gelatin
It got me to sleep
I made not a peep
And soon I swam in serotonin
Basically, it works. It works great. You need a prescription though, so be careful about knockoffs and imitators being sold online.
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!