This has been a tough allergy season!  Unless itchy ears and scratchy throats are your thing, you have been suffering along with the rest of us.  Allergies can be more than just an annoyance.  When allergies stick around too long, they create this moist, swollen environment where bacteria and viruses love to grow often turning into colds and sinus infections.

If you are a fellow allergy sufferer, let me help you with some relief options.  My current favorite is quail egg powder.  It was originally discovered that the consumption of raw quail eggs decreased allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, itchy nose and nasal congestion.  If you are not a connoisseur of raw quail eggs, there is a pleasant tasting chewable supplement called Allqlear made by Integrative Therapeutics that works just as well. 

Quercetin is a great anti-inflammatory found in foods such as onions and broccoli.  If your nose feels swollen to twice its normal size, quercitin is a great option for you.  It is also an immune modulator – this means that it calms down an overreactive immune system.  Allergic reactions are like two-year-old temper tantrums – they involve a lot of snot, a lot of whining, and a general feeling of misery.  Use quercitin to diffuse your body’s temper tantrum before it really gets started and embarrases you in the middle of the grocery store.

You know that plant that you always want to avoid when you are out hiking?  No, not poison ivy, the other one.  Stinging nettle is a plant that causes itching on the outside of your body when touched, but ameliorates itching on the inside of your body when ingested.  Crazy, huh? However stinging nettle is not a great product to use by itself.  Look for it as part of a blend with quercitin and vitamin C to increase its efficacy.  Allen G Plus by Mountain Peak Nutritionals is a favorite in our office.

Vitamin C is a supplement that I take everyday.  During allergy season it protects the body in two ways.  First, it stabilizes mast cells so that they don’t overreact (temper tantrum) and release too much histamine.  Histamine causes tissues to itch and swell.  Second, it supports the immune system to keep bacteria and viruses at bay so we don’t get sick.

Allergy season doesn’t have to be miserable.  If you need more help, come see at Valley Natural Medical Center so we can personalize a treatment plan for you.