Fall is a great time of year. The leaves begin to change, and the weather gets cooler. When it comes to allergies, though, fall is definitely not a great time whatsoever. Nobody likes runny noses or itchy eyes, especially if it leads to a sinus infection.
You could treat yourself with medication, but with all the adverse side effects associated with some of these treatments, sometimes it’s better to just suffer from the allergies. Luckily, there are more wholesome, natural ways to combat any allergens that you might face this coming fall.
Sneeze and Sniff
First, let’s cover what kind of symptoms you could experience with fall allergies:
- Sneezing
- Red eyes
- Coughing
- Congestion
If you’re experiencing more severe symptoms like headaches and pain around your face, you may have a sinus infection. Make sure to schedule an appointment with your doctor if you suspect you contracted this kind of infection. Although it may feel like just a bad cold, it can potentially turn fatal. Just be warned, some of the medications doctors prescribe to remedy sinus infections have come with their own set of side effects and unintended consequences.
Cause and Effect
What causes allergies? Apparently a lot of things. Some common fall allergens are ragweed, mold, and dust mites.
All of these are considered airborne allergies, and they are the hardest to get a handle on. Since you have very little control in what you breathe in and out when you’re outside, you don’t have much defense against how your body reacts to these allergy triggers.
Once something you’re allergic to enters your body, your immune system reacts as if something truly harmful has invaded and produces chemicals that give you the symptoms that drive you crazy. Fortunately, there are healthy and natural ways to help build your body’s strength against these Fall time allergies.
There are two ways you can go about this:
- Diet
- Preemptive steps
Let Food Be Thy Medicine:
When dealing with inhalant allergies the natural way, many people find allergy relief through juicing. Fruits and vegetables are essential to making your allergy symptoms less severe. Juicing makes it easier to get as many of these allergy-relieving nutrients as possible.
Natural Remedies for Allergies:
- Green tea contains EGCG a biologically active antioxidant that is found in green tea that seems to help a wide range of allergens, including pollen, dust, pet dander and certain chemicals.
- Spices such as turmeric and cinnamon should also be a part of your arsenal against allergies for the immune-system-boosting capabilities they possess.
- Some other dietary choices you should consider are raw honey’s. It’s best to consume raw honey that is collected as close to where you live as possible and before allergy season starts.
- Probiotics supplements or foods such as organic Greek yogurt would also be beneficial since having a good balance of healthy bacteria.
The idea is to build a resistance to the allergies before you start experiencing symptoms. All these foods help build up your body’s natural fighting power and make your immune system not react as intensely when it encounters allergens.
Extra Steps to Take:
In conjunction with diet, here are some other steps you can take to better prepare yourself for fall allergies:
- When the pollen is out, stay indoors. Keep all windows and doors closed during times pollen is most abundant, which is around the middle of the day.
- Use an air filter at home for extra protection against pollen and mold.
- Take your shoes off outside before entering your home and leave them out, if possible.
- Keep a regular vacuuming schedule to eliminate dirt and dust particles from your carpet that could cause problems later on.
- Getting acupuncture can be effective with helping with the overreaction of your immune system as soon as the first treatment.
- Rinsing your sinuses with salt and water from one nostril out the other is also recommended in helping reduce allergy suffering.
Fall, like any time of the year, has its ups and downs. However, allergies don’t have to be one of them. Although the air may be riddled with allergy triggers such as ragweed, mold and dust mites, runny noses and itchy eyes can be a thing of the past.
If you eat foods that boost the effectiveness of your immune system and take preemptive steps to lessen your exposure to allergens, you’ll be more than ready to go on whatever fall adventures await you.
I haven’t thought of using green tea as specifically part of “my arsenal” when combating Fall allergies. Great ideas. Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop. Love your work!
Green tea has so many medicinal uses and allergies are one of them. Always glad to be part of Homestead blog hop. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.