The sniffly season is upon us! Even during March, pollen counts are high and itchy eyes, sneezing and stuffy noses are becoming quite a problem for many. If hay fever or seasonal allergies are problematic for you or your loved ones, then here are my handy tips to help you nip your allergies in the bud. I hope these really help you so that you can get out and about more in the summer without needing to take a box of tissues!

Querctin
Quercitin is one of nature’s most powerful antihistamines, and it is contained in low levels in many fruit and vegetables, ranging from broccoli to apples. But it is most concentrated in onion and garlic, especially in the outer skins of onions. However to avoid pungent breathe from eating garlic and onions, food supplements using pineapple derived quercetin are very popular instead. Pineapple is also rich ion bromelain which is one of nature’s anti-inflammatories.

Vitamin C
Many people who suffer from hay fever and seasonal allergies have a problem producing Diamine Oxidase which leads to intolerance to high histamine foods. Vitamin C is one of the simplest ways to support histamine intolerance. You can boost up your dietary vitamin C with berries, citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli and kale. You may also need to take an additional vitamin C supplement during the sniffly season.

Beta Glucans
Beta glucans are special dietary fibre that also have immune modulating properties. Beta-glucans are found in oats, rye grass, barley, some mushrooms (such as reishi, shiitake and maitake) as well as in yeast. There are various studies showing that seasonal allergic symptoms can be relieved by beta-glucan supplementation. This is why we recommend boosting up your diet with beta-glucan rich foods and a supplement rich in beta glucans during the hay fever season.

Nettle
Stinging nettles in the form of nettle tea or nettle soup can be a helping hand over the summer to help with your stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, headaches and coughing. Nettle works by reducing inflammation in the body, a common problem with food and environmental allergies. Nettle is often found combined with other herbs with anti-histamine properties such as fennel and peppermint to make delicious herbal teas.

Tulsi
Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil has many far reaching therapeutic applications including faster wound healing and is one of nature’s antioxidants. Holy Basil prevents mast cell degranulation, helping treat allergic disorders and is known as one of the best respiratory system rejuvenators. Tulsi Tea is delicious and can be drunk throughout the allergey season.

Nasal Protection
One of the reasons why allergens are so irritating is that pollen gets stuck in the nasal passage causing, sneezing, stuffiness and itchiness. Blocking the pollen from affecting the nasal passage is easy using natural pollen barriers. You can take this one step further by flushing out the nasal passages with saline solution using a small neti-pot which can be purchased very cheaply online.

Avoid High Histamine Foods
Lastly diet can be a factor if histamine is an ongoing problem. Foods that are well known to increase histamine levels in sensitive people include:

It may be prudent to reduce or eliminate these key high histamine foods over the summer to keep histamine levels down.

I hope that you find these summer health tips useful and that it makes a big difference to how your immune system responds to environmental allergens. Please comment below with your feedback!

Lucinda Recommends