Spring is here and you should be out in the park, walking barefoot, and breathing in the fresh sweet smell of flowers in bloom. But before you go out on a nature walk, fortify yourself against seasonal allergy by including some anti-allergic food items in your daily menu.
Summer’s the time when a majority of people come down with hay fever. Try some natural preventive care for a month and see if it works!
• Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E both have strong anti-allergic properties. The dosage of Vitamin B5 is 100 mg, once a day for a month; for Vitamin E its, 400 mg, once a day, for a month.
• Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine, helping to reduce nasal secretions and inflammation. Combined with flavonoids which also have antihistamine properties – you get a potent anti-allergic remedy. Find Vitamin C and flavonoids in berries, plums, citrus fruits, peppers, spinach, and broccoli.
• Licorice helps in reducing allergic symptoms and decreases inflammation.
• Chilli pepper or cayenne helps in desensitizing the mucous membrane of your nose and mouth, thereby reducing its chances of getting inflamed due to an allergic reaction.
• Lime and Honey, taken together and separately have wonderful anti-allergic properties. Squeeze half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and stir in, one teaspoon of honey. Have this first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Not only does it flush your body of toxins, it protects you from pollen allergy.
• If you can stomach raw vegetable juice – here’s a very powerful anti-allergic concoction! Mix 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juice with 300 ml of carrot juice to prepare a 500 ml of vegetable juice. Drink once daily.
• If you are not allergic to ragweed, try 1 cup of chamomile tea daily, sweetened with honey. It’s naturally anti-histamine, the chemical that triggers allergy symptoms like stuffed or runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes.
• Peppermint tea relieves congestions from respiratory tract and is also refreshingly cool in summer.
• Drink tea from thyme if you are down with a bad cold or sinus. Pour 1 teaspoon of thyme in 1 cup of water. Do not have more than 1 cup a day.
• Garlic and Ginger are both very effective immunity builders. Fresh garlic is good for a blocked nose and can be had whenever you are down with cough and cold. Ginger helps in reducing excess secretion of histamine. Take a small piece of fresh ginger. Peel it. Chop it into small pieces. Put the pieces in a small mug and pour a glass of boiling water over it. Have it with some honey.
• Five drops of castor oil in half a cup of fruit or vegetable juice or water, taken on an empty stomach in the morning is useful for allergies of intestinal tract, skin, and nasal passages.
• And here are some home remedies for immediate relief!
• Shampoo your hair to wash away any pollen your hair might have collected.
• Take a shower if you wake up in the night feeling you are coming down with nasal congestion. This will wash away any pollen that might be on your body.
• And some precautionary measures!
• Wear dark glasses to shield your eyes from pollen grains. Your eyes will start itching and watering if they come in contact with pollen.
• Install air purifiers with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters) to capture indoor pollen.
• Filter your vacuum to prevent it from blasting small particles of dust (containing dust mites) back into the air, which will only aggravate your allergy.
• Keep the air conditioner on, to prevent forming of molds in dark, moist corners. Molds are a source of allergens.
• If you are susceptible to seasonal allergy, do not mow your lawn. Ask someone else to do it for you. Grass can trigger off a bout of sneezing and all the other symptoms that go with seasonal allergies.
• Wash your pet at least once a month to lower the incidence of pet dander.
Insect Allergy
If you are allergic to insect bites, wash the area with some diluted vinegar (diluted in water). Apply it to the area with some cotton ball and see the redness and itching reduce considerably.
Food Allergy
The most common types of food allergies are allergy to eggs, shellfish and peanut. The immediate symptoms are swelling of lips and area around mouth, severe abdominal cramps and breathlessness. In extreme cases you might feel dizzy and faint. For immediate relief, try some saline solution. Put a few drop of the solution in your nose. The saline water will wash away the inflamed cells, giving you temporary relief.
Prepare the solution by mixing one teaspoon of salt in a pint of warm distilled water and add a pinch of baking soda.
Try including yoga and meditation in your daily fitness regime. Both are particularly beneficial for reducing stress. Stress has been known to make you more prone to allergy attacks.