The flowers are in bloom. The grass is growing. And you’re stuck inside blowing your nose, dealing with sneezing fits, drying your watery eyes, and hoping your congestion headache goes away soon.
Suffering from seasonal allergies – also known as hay fever – can be miserable. Is there any relief in sight? Yes. There are several ways to treat your allergies – before and after they start acting up.
Here are some of the tips:
Reduce your exposure to allergy triggers
To reduce your exposure to the things that trigger your allergy signs and symptoms (allergens):
- Stay indoors on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air.
- Delegate lawn mowing, weed pulling, and other gardening chores that stir up allergens.
- Remove clothes you’ve worn outside and shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.
- Don’t hang laundry outside — pollen can stick to sheets and towels.
- Wear a pollen mask if you do outside chores.
Take extra steps when pollen counts are high
Seasonal allergy signs and symptoms can flare up when there’s a lot of pollen in the air. These steps can help you reduce your exposure:
- Check your local TV or radio station, your local newspaper, or the Internet for pollen forecasts and current pollen levels.
- If high pollen counts are forecasted, start taking allergy medications before your symptoms start.
- Close doors and windows at night or any other time when pollen counts are high.
- Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning when pollen counts are highest.
Keep indoor air clean
No miracle product can eliminate all allergens from the air in your home, but these suggestions may help:
- Use the air conditioning in your house and car.
- If you have forced-air heating or air conditioning in your house, use high-efficiency filters and follow regular maintenance schedules.
- Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.
Things to eat
There are some foods that you should be eating to keep your allergies at bay. Make sure that your diet has plenty of green, leafy vegetables, yellow and orange vegetables, bamboo shoots, cabbage, beet tops, beets, carrots, yam, onions, garlic, ginger, chilies, and horseradish. Also, tank up on plenty of fluids.
Foods to avoid
Certain foods increase the production of mucus and worsen allergy symptoms, so do avoid these foods when you are congested. Alcohol, caffeine, dairy products, bananas, citrus fruit, chocolate, peanuts, red meat, sugar, wheat, and refined oils are best avoided at this time.
Therapeutic foods
Honey ginger and lemon: This age-old cure will clear out your congestion and reduce allergy symptoms. Drink some warm water mixed with honey, a little ginger juice, and a few squeezes of lemon at intervals throughout the day.
Ghee is recommended by Ayurveda for alleviating asthma. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Eat a teaspoonful as it is or eat only warm food cooked with ghee when you have a cold. Avoid raw and cold foods.
Chyanvanprash is also quite effective in soothing cold symptoms. It calms inflamed mucous membranes, cuts down mucous production, and helps your lungs function better.
Carrot, beetroot, and cucumber: Mix 250 ml carrot juice with 100 ml beetroot juice add 100 ml cucumber juice and drink once a day to alleviate allergic reactions.