Allergy season is here! Yuck!!! Runny nose, teary eyes, face pain and headache are just a few of the symptoms you might suffer with thanks to good ‘ole allergies.
An allergy is a hypersensitive reaction to a normally harmless substance. In other words, allergies make you miserable! There are many ways to limit symptoms without using medications. Since most medications have side effects, even the so called “safe” over the counter ones, it is good to see if you can enhance your body’s ability to handle allergies with limited medications.
Eating certain foods can be one way to enhance the body. These foods will help calm your overactive immune system and help symptoms: citrus fruits, garlic, ginger root, and green leafy vegetables.
A couple cloves of sautéed garlic along with some sautéed onion enhance the flavor of most other veggies. Just a ½ tsp of fresh ginger root adds zip to any stir-fry meal, or you can grate some into your morning smoothie. Ginger is anti-inflammatory, so it also helps reduce pain and inflammation. Increasing your water intake will help to keep your mucous thin and clear, which can decrease the pressure build up we associate with allergies.
Did you know that food sensitivities can trigger environmental allergy symptoms? If you’ve had allergies forever or even if they’ve just started in the past few years, food sensitivities can cause over-activity of the sinuses. I’m talking about dairy products and /or certain grains, especially the gluten grains; such as wheat, are the usual culprits. Many people find that they have less drainage and head congestion if they limit or eliminate wheat and dairy. If you have chronic allergy problems and you’ve never tried eliminating these foods for a period of time, it would be a great place to start. Especially if you say to yourself; “I can’t live without my milk”, or “what do you mean I can’t have toast with my eggs?!’
Learning which foods can trigger symptoms in you will give you more control in your life. Mary, our patient, had constant drainage in her throat and severe migraine headaches at least once a week. She eliminated wheat from her diet and her throat cleared up and headaches decreased to once every 3 or 4 months.
Interestingly, allergies can also indicate an ineffective digestive track. The right diet can eliminate or soothe symptoms. If you have chronic allergies or digestive problems, or if you are always tired and suffer from muscle aches and pains and allergies, a nutritional consultation may be the ticket to finding the drug-free answers you’re looking for. Contact me for a consult to discuss how finding the right diet and nutrients can reduce or eliminate allergy symptoms without medications or side effects.
