Fighting off the sniffles? Can’t stop sneezing? Laurie Jennings stops by to chat about the best natural allergy remedies and highlights six of her favourite ways to deal with your allergies this season.
Get your fruity fix
Quercetin, a flavonoid that gives many fruits, vegetables and flowers their vibrant colour may help your body from releasing histamine. Try eating lots of apples, citrus fruits, onions, parsley and red wine for your best dietary sources. It’s also found in dark berries, grapes and olive oil. You can also take a quercetin supplement, which is available from your health food stores in pills or capsules.
Try a daily extract
There are lots of natural extracts that can help with your allergies, including butterbur, stinging nettles and bromelain. Read below for more info on each!
Butterbur is a potent extract that has been compared to drugs like Allegra or Zyrtec. You can find this extract in health food stores.
Stinging Nettles is said to have helped reduced sneezing and itching in people with hay fever. It is available as a dried leaf, freeze dried leaf, extract, capsules, tablets and as a root tincture, juice or tea.
Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapple that reduces swelling and improves breathing. It can be found in a capsule form at your local health food store.
Wash off pollen
This is so simple, but showering before bed helps remove pollen that’s landed on your skin and hair throughout the day. This is especially important if you’ve spent a lot of time outdoors.
You can also try a neti-pot, a device that irrigates your sinus cavity and nose with a saline solution, flushing out pockets of allergens (like pollen) that can harbour in the nasal cavity.
You can also look into a pre-packaged saline nasal spray, which functions like a neti-pot, and may be easier to use for some allergy sufferers.
Switch up your bedding
Tightly woven anti-allergen bedding helps block dust mites that feed off our skin and create allergy-inducing dust. Smart Silk is the first all-natural bedding to be certified asthma & allergy friendly.
For an instant DIY option: Throw your pillow and/or pillowcase in the dryer on high for 5-10 minutes before bed to burn off the dust-mite population.
Block it out
Sleeping with your window open lets in a breeze, but it also brings in unwanted pollen for allergy-sufferers. If you really want to sleep with your windows open, look for products like those from pollenTEC, including window and door screens that filter out up to 100% of grass allergens and 90% of ragweed.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters also ease symptoms by trapping allergens and other airborne irritants, such as pet dander and dust. Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are another option that can also help clean air as they remove moisture, which will curb the growth of the mold and mildew that can worsen allergies.
Steam inhalation
Inhaling steam can help to decongest and have you breathing again. Simply pour boiling water into a bowl, drape a towel over your head to form a tent and inhale deeply through your nose for a few minutes. (Be careful not to burn yourself!) Adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil can boost the benefits of steam inhalation to further open your nasal passages. Some research suggests this essential oil has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Add a few drops to your bowl of steaming water.
For more tips from Laurie, watch the clip below!