Your immunes system has decided that an everyday substance is your enemy-and allergen. When you inhale a substance-such as: tree pollen, cat dander, or dust- and antibody are created. In order to neutralize the allergen, your cells must release histamine and other chemicals causing some combination of the classic symptoms such as: the runny nose, watery eyes, and scratchy throat. If you reach for an over-the-counter antihistamine for relief, you could cause more harm than good.
If you are worries that alternative medications and remedies won't work as well as medications, you shouldn't be. Here are some natural approaches to curing your allergies.
HYDROTHERAPY: This is a cleansing bath for your immune system. Some alternative practitioners believe that a detoxification bath can help deal with allergies. Taking a hot, detoxifying bath is said to release stored toxins from fat cells into the blood. They then travel to the skin and are released.
First, take a bath or a shower to remove excess oil and dirt from your skin. Then fill the tub with water as hot as you can tolerate it without pain and deep enough to immerse your body up to your neck. Sit in the tub, letting the water submerging your entire body except for your head. Stay in the bath tub for 5 minutes, and then take a brief but thorough warm shower to wash the toxins off your skin so that they won't be absorbed.
Not only can water cure your allergies, but herbal supplements can be just as affective. The following herbs are easy to find and used:
STINGING NETTLE: This is the top herbal antihistamine. To maximize the effectiveness of this herb, start taking it before allergy season. Take two 300 mg capsules three times a day.
QUERCETIN: This can be a potent inhibitor of histamine release... It works slowly, but it does work. IT can take 3 to 4 weeks for quercetin to kick in. Taking 250 mg twice daily is usually sufficient to control most allergies.
BROMELAIN: This anti-inflammatory enzyme comes from pineapples and helps with absorption, thus the effectiveness of quercetin. You can take 250 mg of bromelain twice a day along with quercetin.
PANTOTHENTIC ACID: This adrenal aid boosts adrenaline hormones, making you less vulnerable to allergies. The more your adrenal glands works well, the better your allergy symptoms with become. Taking pantothentic acid, a B-vitamin, can help boost your adrenal glands. You can take 200 to 500 mg per day before becoming exposed to things that can ignite your allergies.
Of course, when it comes to your health, you should always consult a doctor before trying something new. My father suffers from a corn allergy and I have found the above treatments to help him very well. I hope these alternative remedies do the same for others.