Spring is just around the corner and for many of us, it means a whole lot of sneezing and red eyes. Although there are many medicines you can take against allergy symptoms, there are also natural ways to support your body through these times. Here are just 6 of them:
1- Clear your sinuses
When we suffer from allergies, our sinuses tend to get full of mucus. This can make it hard to breathe normally and get a good night of sleep. But there is also another downside to this problem. When mucus accumulates in your nose, it attracts pollen—making your allergy symptoms even worse!
The solution? You can try using a neti pot to flush your nose, a nasal douche, or a special nasal spray. These devices typically use salt water to help flush out mucus from your sinuses. Do this daily and you’ll soon find that you’re breathing easier, and even breaking the vicious cycle that attracts more pollen!
2- Consider taking a probiotic supplement
Studies have found that our gut flora has a massive impact on our immunity, and on our ability to handle allergic reactions. Unfortunately, with stress and poor diet, many of us have a less than optimal bacteria population in our gut.
The solution might be to take a probiotic supplement, which increases the number of “healthy” bacteria. These beneficial bacteria can even fight “bad” bacteria, drastically improving your immune system and overall health. With healthy bacteria in your gut, you’ll be a lot less likely to experience strong allergic symptoms. You can take probiotics in natural forms (by eating yogurt and sauerkraut, or by drinking kefir and kombucha), or by investing in a supplement that contains good amounts of healthy bacteria Natural D Hist is a good supplement to consider to build immunity.
3- Give CBD a try
CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabis molecule making waves in the world of natural health. So what can it do for people with allergic symptoms? First of all, CBD has anti-inflammatory properties. When we experience an allergic reaction, it’s because our inflammation levels are getting out of control. By balancing out your inflammatory response, CBD could help with many symptoms of allergies, like itchy eyes, redness, and painful sinuses. There is also some evidence that using CBD could reduce the production of mast cells, the cells responsible for triggering an allergic reaction. Taking CBD during allergy season could help not only to relieve allergic reactions but also to prevent them from happening in the first place.
Without a doubt, the best way to take CBD for allergies is to use it on a daily basis. CBD can build up in your system overtime, and the more regularly you take it, the stronger it’ll be. Aside from that, it’s up to you. You may want to try out classic CBD oil or capsules, or something more fun like CBD gummies and CBD chocolate. But whatever you do, make sure you select high-quality, third-party tested, organic products.
4- Make it a priority to reduce stress
Did you know that the stress hormone cortisol can make allergy symptoms worse? Not only does stress severely affect your mental health, but it can also affect you physically. The more stressed you are, the less your body will be able to deal with seasonal allergies.
Of course, we don’t all have the opportunity to remove sources of stress in our lives. If the job that you depend on for your livelihood is very stressful, or if you’re stressed about the illness of a loved one, you can’t necessarily “step away”. However, even in stressful situations, there are ways you can use to remain calmer. For example, you may want to try out breathing exercises or alternate nostril breathing. Another great way to fight stress is to exercise more regularly, as this has been shown to reduce the levels of cortisol in the body.
It often feels like whatever is stressing you out is the priority. But remember, you are the priority, and your wellbeing is the most important thing you can take care of today.
5- Clean up your diet
Having high levels of toxins and inflammation in your body can make allergic reactions a lot worse. So an easy way to relieve these symptoms is simply to clean up your diet. What does it mean? First, make sure to drink a lot of water to help your body flush out toxins. It’s also important to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, and other fiber-rich foods.
One of the main culprits of an inflammation-causing diet is processed foods. So if your diet relies heavily on white bread, prepared meats, or chocolate and biscuits, try to eliminate those for a few weeks. It’s not about limiting yourself and becoming frustrated. It’s a matter of making small changes to your diet so you can feel better day to day when allergies kick in.
6- Try aromatherapy
Many essential oils have interesting anti-inflammatory properties. For example, peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils have been found to help people with irritated sinuses. According to some medicinal traditions, they could even help to regulate your immune system in order to lower your allergic reactions.
You can use essential oils by adding a few drops of them to a pack of tissues. That way, you’ll get aromatherapy benefits whenever you reach to blow your nose. Another option is to use a diffuser like an oil burner or a humidifier. This helps to diffuse tiny particles of essential oils all throughout a room, so you can absorb them as you go about your day. If you’re someone who already loves the smell of essential oils, give them a try. Though they don’t produce instant results for allergy sufferers, they can definitely improve your condition over time.
Takeaway
Getting through seasonal allergies is tough. But even when it feels like your allergic symptoms are getting the better of you, remember that you have a lot of tools at your disposal. Whether it’s eating healthier, diffusing essential oils, or trying out CBD, there are a lot of natural ways to fight allergic reactions. We hope this article has inspired you to try out some natural remedies for your allergic symptoms. Stay well!