Spring Allergy Support
I’m sure we are all relieved that spring is here after a long and snowy winter, but spring allergies can be intense. Due to climate change, pollen counts are significantly higher than they used to be and the number of days with elevated pollen counts has increased. Here are some suggestions to treat your allergies naturally. Talk to a medical provider for individualized advice and to make sure supplements are safe for you to take.
Daily Practices
Limiting your overall exposure to pollen is a good place to start. Checking daily pollen counts to decide which days you will spend more time outside, installing a good-quality air filter and taking a shower before bed can decrease your exposure. Pollen tends to settle on our bodies and in our hair which makes the pre-bed shower especially helpful. Washing your bedding frequently will also help remove excess pollen exposure while sleeping.
Food Changes
Some foods can make allergy symptoms worse. This is different for each person, but some common themes are sugar and dairy. Sugar is inflammatory for most people, so that combined with pollen exposure can make symptoms worse. Dairy can increase mucus production making sneezing and runny noses more severe. Consider decreasing your sugar/dairy consumption during the peak of the allergy season. If you find your allergy symptoms to be unchanged, you can go back to eating these foods as before—no reason to miss out on some of your favorite foods if it does not improve your symptoms!
Increasing sources of antioxidants (vegetables and fruits) can help your body manage its inflammation better. Additionally, vitamin C is a mast-cell stabilizer meaning it acts as a natural anti-histamine. Increasing foods rich in vitamin C (dark leafy greens, berries, citrus fruit) can decrease your histamine response to pollen. Additionally, increasing your consumption of omega-3 fats (fish, nuts, seeds) can decrease inflammation to help reduce allergy symptoms. Omega-3s also help encourage our immune systems to tolerate rather than react to allergens.
Supplements
Supplements can provide support through the allergy season. Some work as natural anti-histamines while others affect the way the immune system works to encourage tolerance rather than reaction.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
As mentioned in the food section, omega-3’s help the body to tolerate pollen exposure rather than having our immune system mount a response. Our diets tend to be low in omega-3 vs. omega-6 fatty acids, so adding in a supplement can be helpful. Make sure you buy your supplement from a brand that is third-party tested to ensure it does not contain any mercury.
Quercetin
Quercetin is present naturally in citrus fruits, apples, onions and garlic. It acts as a natural antihistamine in the body by stabilizing mast cells (the cells that release histamine). It is hard to consume enough from food alone, so adding it as a supplement can help during the allergy season.
Local Honey
Consuming honey from a local source can also decrease allergy symptoms. Local honey will have small amounts of local pollen in it. When we eat pollen, rather than inhaling it, it can push our immune system towards tolerating the allergen rather than reacting to it. This strategy only works if the honey you are eating was produced locally. The best place to find local honey is at your nearby farmer’s market.
Other Interventions
Chiropractic and Acupuncture
Chiropractic care and acupuncture can both help to decrease allergy symptoms. Misalignments in the spine and increase nerve reactions to pollen. Acupuncture helps to regulate every system in the body which can reduce allergy symptoms as well.
Naturopathic Care
Seeing a Naturopathic Doctor can help you get to the root cause of your allergy symptoms and make sure supplement recommendations are safe for you. Taking over-the-counter antihistamines can help you survive allergy season, but for most people it is not the only option.
About the Author
Alli Erdahl is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Chaska, Minnesota.
