May 8, 2015 | 0 Comments

Spring Fever Got You Down?

Spring is beautiful and love is in the air! Unfortunately there may also be a lot of other things in the air that are preventing you from enjoying this glorious season. Especially here in New Hampshire where Spring is long awaited and Summer follows quickly behind.

Although we don’t rate in the top ten worst states for allergies, several doctors have told me that the rate of airborne allergy symptoms in New Hampshire is high. No matter where you live, if your body reacts to pollen, dust, mold and pet dander then the season of love may not be loving you. If you happen to have asthma as well then you’ve got double misery.

Fight Back with Hope

What are your choices? Even if you stay inside all season only enjoying the flowers through a window you may still have symptoms. Some people do fine with over the counter drugs like Claritin but others have a harder time. Feeling like you can’t breathe is very scary, so let’s look at some ways that you can work with your body to regain hope.

The suggestions here are not meant to replace medical advice, they are simply additional supports which may increase your well being when used consistently. Listen to your body and your doctor, but try to improve your overall health and wellbeing as well.

Immune Support for Easier Breathing

Combine taking Bioflavonoids (e.g., quercetin, catechin, and hesperidin) with Bromelain and vitamin C. Bioflavonoids are natural antihistamines and are strongly anti-allergenic, while Bromelain and vitamin C enhance their effectiveness. I have used Quercetin with one of my children and it does work well if used consistently. The main reason people don’t see results with supplements or natural remedies is because they don’t use them consistently over an extended period of time.

Vitamins, minerals and natural remedies work differently from allopathic medicine, they are meant to support your body’s own healing ability. Although sometimes they can be used for acute symptoms, most of the time you will see greater benefit by focusing on improving your overall health as well as the current symptoms. Put your self on a long term health plan that includes these supplements:

Bioflavonoids
Bromelain
Probiotics (e.g., lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus)
Vitamin C
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Zinc
Ginger & Turmeric (reduces inflammation)

There are also herbs and homeopathic remedies that can help for both allergies and asthma symptoms. For more on natural and alternative treatments go to The American Association of Naturopathic Medicine‘s website and search for your topic of interest: www.naturopathic.org

Clean air will help a lot

Right after the first blooms came out this year water started running from my right eye. I struggled with it for 2 weeks trying all sorts of home remedies but nothing worked. I noticed that my eyes actually felt better when I was in a public building with air conditioning, so I decided to invest in a HEPA air filter for the room at home where I spend most of my time.

I was shocked when my eye cleared up after only one day of using the HEPA air filter, and the problem has not returned. It was cheaper to spend $150 on the air filter than what I would have spent for a doctor visit and medicine that might not have worked. The air was the problem, not my eye.

Some suggestions for living in clean air:

Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.
Use a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom or the rooms where you spend the most time.
Clean floors often with a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter.
If you have air conditioning in your car or home make sure the filters are clean (HEPA is possible).

Reduce Stress

Yeah, yeah, I know you’ve heard it a lot but you probably feel like you don’t have time to reduce your stress load. That’s the problem. Medical science has now proven that stress is the most significant overall factor that contributes to ill health. Countering stress with simple habits that help to regulate your overall well being have now been proven to help people overcome life threatening diseases such as cancer. If reversing stress can do that, maybe it can also help allergy and asthma symptoms. Some stress countering activities include: