Home Remedies for Seasonal Allergies

With spring springing upon us, sunshine is not the only thing in the air. Pollen counts are up along with other natural allergens within our daily surroundings. Unfortunately, if you're like me, that means this is the time of year, you start feeling miserable. Your eyes start to swell up and itch like crazy, your nose won't stop running, you are sneezing every five minutes, your throat is scratchy, and you are ready to punch out your eardrums because of the itching. To make matters worse, the few lucky people that are not suffering from seasonal allergies start asking you why you are crying. "No, I'm not crying, I just can't breathe!" Although, sometimes this season does make me want to cry. Over the last several years, I have tried several allergy remedies that no longer make me want to run and cry, but instead make me feel brave enough to take on the outside world.

The first and most important thing in my opinion is having essential oils on hand. Diffusing lemon, peppermint, and lavender essential oil help to reduce the inflammation from the allergies, and in return, reducing the symptoms. Direct contact onto your sinuses will do wonders as well. If you are unable to invest in all three oils right now, the oil that has worked the best for me in helping to reduce my allergies symptoms is lavender essential oil. This oil is a miracle worker and also helps with breathing. As someone that also has asthma, this oil is essential to me, hence the name, essential oils. While on the subject of essential oils, eucalyptus oil and rose oil are great additions to add to a diffuser to combat the effects of seasonal allergies. These oils will help to open up the sinuses which are often clogged with seasonal allergies.

Herbal Remedies

Echinacea is herbal remedy that I take to help combat the ill effects of hay fever. This immune booster is full of Vitamin C which is known for properties helping with seasonal allergies. Butterbur is another herbal supplement that can be taken to help relieve allergy symptoms. Both of these can be found at a natural health foods store or a vitamin shop.

Speaking of herbal remedies to help reduce allergies, Quercitin is another one to try. However, if herbs in vitamin form are not natural enough for you, you are still in luck. Start snacking on apples and walnuts instead. Quercitin is found in both of these superfoods and will help reduce inflammation that causes the hay fever in the first place. This substance also helps to reduce the release of histamines in the body, which is what causes the reaction of the itchy eyes, nose, throat, ears, along with the sniffling of the nose.

With almost any remedy, I am sure you have seen apple cider vinegar listed as a treatment option. Seasonal allergies is no different. The apple cider vinegar again helps to reduce inflammation and will also help to loosen thick mucus. This helps with the cold as well, and since allergy symptoms sometimes feel like a cold virus, it’s no surprise to see apple cider vinegar come up again in the treatment of hay fever.

Travel

My personal favorite in the treatment of allergies is to travel. Last year during the start of allergy season, I went to Ireland for a week. I thought for sure my allergies would bother me in the island of all green, but surprisingly, they didn’t. The change in atmosphere has different types of pollens. My body had to adjust before it could decide when to produce histamines. I’m not just talking about leaving the country. A few years ago, again at the start of allergy season, I traveled to a different state. Again, my body had to adjust. Not only did my body need time to adjust while I was traveling, but it even needed more time to adjust once I returned home. Of course, I’m financially challenged, so this method does not work for the entire season. However, it is a great excuse to travel!