We recently taught you how to distinguish seasonal allergies from a common cold. But knowing what you’re dealing with is not enough to make it stop.
If you have discovered that you are suffering from seasonal allergies, Salud is here to show you seven ways of helping alleviate the symptoms naturally and at home.
- Clean up your space: Using a dehumidifier or an air conditioner can help prevent the growth of mold, which can worsen your reactions to allergens, especially if you suffer from asthma. If you are allergic to pollen, removing your shoes and changing your clothes as soon as you get home can really help prevent spreading pollen from the street around your house. Using a HEPA filter in your vacuum can help trap dust, pollen, and other allergens so you don’t breathe them in.
- Clean your nose: Using a neti pot, or irrigating your nose with saline water can help you relieve your allergies. Pollen can adhere to your mucus, worsening your allergy symptoms. Cleaning out your nose as soon as you get home should help you alleviate the discomfort.
- Stay hydrated: If your nose is stuffy, or on the other hand, it’s dripping uncontrollably, drinking more water, or juice can help thin the mucus in your nasal passages. Having broths, soups, and teas is also great since the steam can help you open your airways faster.
- Vitamin C: Natural medicine practitioners recommend taking 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C every day to help reduce the levels of histamine.
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture targets underlying imbalances from the body, which in turn help treat the problems that are causing your body to react to the allergens. Always consult your doctor before making an appointment, since it is alternative medicine.
- Essential oils: Using peppermint oil diffused in the air can help reduce the symptoms of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
- Avoid additional irritants: Cooking smoke, cigarette smoke, and chemical products you can breathe in, all contribute to the irritation of your airways, which can only worsen your symptoms. Avoid smoke, and try to use natural products to clean your house.
As we always say, preventing is key, and natural is the way to go. Most of these treatments will not worsen your allergy symptoms, and they might help relieve them effectively, but be sure to always consult your doctor before trying any treatments that may be new, or more aggressive. Severe allergic reactions may result in an anaphylactic shock, and although these are more associated with food allergies, insect stings, medications, and exposure to latex, for those who are allergic, it’s always best to pre-assess the severity of your allergies with a doctor.
You can call us at 1-800-299-7917 to make a virtual appointment with Doctor Rigoberto Perez Diaz, or visit our website www.salud.bz, we will gladly assist you. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and do not forget to tune into our daily program SALUD TV.