It's Allergy Season...Here's A Few Ways To Avoid The Crud!

Golden Rod in BloomIt's almost that time of year! For some of you, it already IS that time of year. What's making us sneeze and itch?

It's not the Golden Rod that's buggin', it has almost NO pollen! Your likely allergic to Ragweed which blooms at the same time and has alot of pollen. Golden Rod is not the enemy (I used to think I was allergic to it myself).  Interestingly enough, you might be able to use a tincture of this herbal extract to combat allergies. 

Golden Rod has properties that make it useful in cases of upper respiratory congestion or as they say in the herbal books, catarrh (pronounced ka-tar). It can be used in the same way for colds and flu's with those associated symptoms. It's astringency has been used for urinary tract infections, cystitis, urethritis & other inflammations of the renal system.

Maybe golden rod isn't so bad after all! Find out more from Susan Weed on the subject of Golden Rod. She's one of my favorite Modern Hippie Herbal ladies:)       I say it with much love:)

Greater Ragweed in it's beginning stages. Look for this uniquely shaped leaf to identify. There is also a "lesser ragweed" that has similar ability to make you sneeze!

How Can You Lessen Seasonal Allergies?

First of all, it's likely the lining of your intestinal tract that is under functioning or even in duress due to too little water, poor diet, alcohol or coffee. When the lining of the gut has been abused or is producing problems, sometimes contents of the digestive tract can leak out into the blood. It's commonly referred to as leaky gut syndrome. This is what is contributing to the irrational allergic response by the body. See my blog post "Heal the Lining of your Gut, Cure Your Allergies" for more information. 

Additionally I'd recommend avoiding dairy, wheat and begin consuming herbal teas. Stinging Nettle for example can be used to combat the inflammatory response your body may have to those pesky floating proteins. If you are brave, try using a netti pot. I love doing it, it's effective to cleanse the sinuses of pollen particles and dust that will cause you to get symptomatic. I wrote a blog post on this also called, "Got Allergies, This Neti Pot is Your New Best Friend." I'll tell you what I need to get you started!

Ingesting a good amount of daily non-acidic Vitamin C would be an excellent idea. Fruit like oranges and vegetables like ALL Greens! Many herbs contain a large amount of Vitamin C. Stinging Nettle and Purslane are but 2 herbs that are great examples, they are tasty and plentiful!

Taking a digestive enzyme is also really helpful for supporting a healthy response to inflammation. Many times I can just take alot of enzymes and I won't experience hay fever. I like Megazyme but there are alot of different brands. I'll usually take 3-4 of these 2 times a day on an empty stomach at the beginning. Once I do this for a few days the allergies subside and I can take less. Everyone is different so you'll have to play around with what works for you. Today was the first day that I felt sneezy and tonight sitting here typing this my eyes are a little bit itchy. I'm on my way into the kitchen to make a little Stinging Nettle Tea. 

Try to avoid allergy medications completely. They are very harsh and often can cause side effects such as hives, dry mouth, medicine-head and not to mention it's one more thing for the ol' liver to contend with. More whole foods, less drugs is the way to go for allergy relief. It's the only way of trying to reverse the root problem, when drugs only mask the symptoms, essentially putting a band-aid on a broken leg. Let me know how you contend with seasonal allergies at desiree@modernhippie.org. I hope this blog posts helps you get through the season a little easier!

If your having asthmatic episodes due to allergies, consider taking a break from wheat. I've experienced (hand had clients experience) asthma, wheezing, shortness of breath and sleep apnea all but disappear with the removal of most wheat from the diet;)  

Lesser Ragweed.