Allergy Tips to Help You Survive this Season!
Disclaimer: I do not represent any of the brands show except for doTERRA in the role as a Wellness Advocate.
Allergy season is here! As I discussed on my page about essential oils, a few areas in the country are experiencing ragweed season!!! Ragweed is a weed that only lasts one season BUT, one plant can expel 1 billion pollen grains according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. While others are enjoying watching the leaves turn colors and eventually falling, ragweed allergies are invading so many!
Here are some quick tips that I have found helpful that I have learned on my wellness journey from my doctors, nutritionist and research as a health and wellness coach.
- Neti Pot—Some people think it’s disgusting to flush your nose out and see water coming out of the other nostril, but the benefits of a Neti Pot are priceless if used right. You can buy them at any drug store like CVS, Walgreens, Target and even Wal-Mart. Most come with saline packets, and you must use distilled water or something of that nature. DO NOT use tap water. The benefits are great. It flushes out impurities, helps inflamed sinuses, clears out mucus and helps you breathe better.
- Air Filtration System—a lot suffer from those pollen grains coming through open windows and vents, dust mites, mold, recycled air through the dusty vents at work, school or even an apartment building. Purchasing one of these helps clean the air of a certain space you’re in. A person can breathe better as they inhale and exhale the air that is coming out of one of these systems. Each one has instructions on how much square footage it can cover. They come as small as ones that plug into your car and large that can help filter the air on one level of a house. A lot of retailers sell them. Change the filters 1-2x a year, the one below I own in my home and works well for our bedroom. Of course, cleaning your space and wiping down furniture of dust, cleaning the bathroom, making sure your carpets are cleaned if you own them, etc…will assist in allergy season as well.
- Cleaning Your Space—this is hard at places like work, but you can request for the vents to be professionally cleaned, even at home or school. If you have a doctor’s note they must comply according to regulations under OSHA. Also dusting your counter tops, desks, shelves, kitchens, bathrooms, etc with organic cleaning supplies and also shampooing the rugs is very beneficial. Meyer’s, Green Works and Nature’s Promise are just a few good brands. You can also make your own cleaning products. There are websites that can show you how. Check out the Environmental Working Group for products that are useful and those that are hazardous. This way if you buy an air filtration system it’s really going to kick in because you have gotten a lot of impurities removed.
- Supplement Usage—there are a variety of supplements, and one should consult a nutritionist or their doctor to see which ones would help with seasonal allergies. I love Bromelain/Quercetin. Bromelain is also found in pineapples and it a natural anti-inflammatory. The same with Quercetin. Naturally the two help your system calm down and such things as eczema (which I use to suffer from) go away or the rashes calm down because your system is not as inflamed.
- Essential Oils—there are tons out there, but I love Breathe by doTERRA, they are also other brands that carry Breathe. It has Eucalyptus, Peppermint oil and others in this blend that really open up your airways. You can add it topically or use a diffuser. You can check out my doTERRA essential oils and products page where I go into further depth about great oils to use for allergy season.
- Adopt a good diet—get rid of foods that inflame your system such as refined sugars, soda, juice like Hi-C, dairy, gluten, foods that aren’t organic, sweets and fried foods. Your body will thank you!
- Drink Lots of Water—water flushes out toxins, impurities and nasty gunk from your body. 64 ounces a day and if you are in need of more you can intake more depending on your medical condition or if you are an athlete. You also want to drink spring, filtered, distilled or alkalized water. Make sure the bottles are BPA free.
Using the above year-round will help you a great deal.
Other quick tips are to take off your shoes once entering your home, washing your face, hands and arms and anything else exposed to pollen, once you are in the house for the day, to place your clothes in the laundry and not sit on any furniture with those clothes on and wash your hair or wear it covered if you will be an area that has a lot of trees, weeds, bushes, etc. I’m not a doctor nor is this medical advice. The above has worked wonders for me but we are all uniquely built. Always consult your doctor, a health professional or nutritionist before starting any new regiment. Do your research as well. Hope you have a great season!