Common Summer Allergies
Here’s a guide to the most common types of summer allergies and how to treat them naturally.
Summer Allergies
Every area has its own unique pollen level and ecosystem. Pollen levels can vary, depending on a number of factors such as the weather and types of plants growing in the region. Rain helps plants grow more bountifully and dry windy weather helps pollen strengthen and spread. Whenever there is abundant rainfall and plant growth the pollen count is 3-4 times higher than normal. People living in certain regions will experience varying levels of summer allergies. For example, those in urban areas will be spared with fewer allergy symptoms since concrete and high rises help absorb and redirect pollen. However, those living in more rural or suburban areas, surrounded by trees, greenery, and open space, will need to take more caution to avoid summer allergies.
A variety of trees, grasses, weeds, and molds that grow every year are responsible for spreading pollen that irritates some of our immune systems. Some common types of allergens are olive trees, mulberry, oak, pine, and sycamore, as well as chamise and sorrel dock, with plenty of other aggravators lurking in the mold and grass. As the season progresses, and other plants come to bloom, your allergies could still get worse.
Despite how common it seems to be, did you know that seasonal allergies are not a normal response to local pollens? Most people blame pollen, but the real cause of seasonal allergies is the immune system. Our immune systems produce antibodies to prevent us from getting sick, and people who suffer from allergies have a high number of antibodies called immunoglobulin-E that are found on the nose, eyes, and lungs. When pollen lands on one of these antibodies, our immune system perceives it as harmful and sends a signal to release histamines and other chemicals that inflame the area and try to fight “infection.” However, since there is no infection, this bodily response just continues until there is no more pollen. Thus, the root cause of your allergy symptoms is not pollen; it is your body’s overreaction to pollen.
Common Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Symptoms can vary in severity, including nasal congestion, runny nose, sinus pain, cough, sneezing, sinus headaches, watery/itchy eyes, rash, itching, upset stomach, constipation, or diarrhea. Severe symptoms can include swelling of the throat, trouble breathing, hives, throwing up, dizziness, and if untreated, death. On top of all that, allergies can also drain your energy and cause many people to experience brain fog, making it hard to focus or think properly.
Reaching for antihistamines is the only way most of us really know how to deal with allergies, but they don’t even offer a solution, just temporary and minor relief with an extra layer of drowsiness. This conventional approach doesn’t get to the root of what causes allergy symptoms in the first place. It just helps you block and hide the symptoms you are experiencing.
Integrative Treatments for Allergies
There are many things you can do to relieve symptoms, strengthen your immune system, and help prevent your allergies from reappearing next year. Here are the top integrative treatments for allergies that avoid the brain fog you can get from conventional antihistamines.
Wear sunglasses outside to avoid pollen interacting with the eyes.
Exercise outside early in the morning before the wind starts and temperatures rise. If your symptoms are unbearable, stay indoors during high-pollen times of the day: generally mid-morning to early evening.
If you’re having trouble with your breathing, inhaling steam is an ideal way to loosen up trapped mucus. Having a warm shower in the morning may help, but it is best to try this steam treatment several times a day: simply fill a bowl with steaming hot water, drape a towel over your head to trap the steam, and breathe slowly and deeply through your nose. You can also add one drop of eucalyptus oil to the water.
For a stuffy nose, do a saline nasal rinse once or twice a day. It will lubricate your nasal passages and block allergens from entering the respiratory tract. You can use an over-the-counter nasal spray, or make your own saline solution. To do this, mix ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, and one cup of warm, sterilized water. Gently flush one nostril at a time, using a Neti pot or similar device.
Drinking more water thin out the mucus in your nose, and hot fluids are especially soothing as the steam helps open up your nasal passage. Drink one or two glasses of warm water upon awakening. To accelerate hydration, add lemon, ginger, and ½ teaspoon of the spice turmeric to the water. Try consuming this drink all day long for maximum results.
To relieve allergy symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing, try drinking nettle leaf tea every few hours. Nettle leaf is packed with anti-inflammatory nutrients and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, K, and B6. It’s also full of potent phytonutrients like chlorophyll.
Many people underestimate the importance of having warm meals and wholesome foods throughout the day, but they are important for your immune system.
Increase your intake of Quercetin found most especially leafy green vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, and spring onions. It’s a bioflavonoid which moderates histamine production and release. Bioflavonoid is an ambiguous term which used to be called “Vitamin P”. It is responsible for giving plants their pigmentation. The term now describes the broad category that includes antioxidants and anti-inflammatory enzymes.
Quercetin has been tested in clinical trials. It has been shown to reduce irritation of the airways while improving one’s overall health. In concentrated doses, it can help to control the severe anaphylactic reaction to certain foods, like peanuts. It does take time to build up sufficient doses of quercetin, so those prone to seasonal allergies would do well to begin taking quercetin and load up on having lots of vegetables weeks or even months in advance of the allergy season.
Increase your intake of Vitamin C and Omega-3 fatty foods, such as flaxseed, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, mung beans, avocado. Vitamin C counteracts histamines, which contribute to inflammation and allergy symptoms. Some great sources of vitamin C are oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, and broccoli. Vitamin C and Omega-3 fatty acids go a long way at boosting the immune system and lessening allergy symptoms.
A healthy, balanced diet containing fresh vegetables, legumes, seeds, non-wheat or white rice whole grains and fresh fruit are critical for boosting the immune system. Drinking homemade fruit and veggie smoothies is an easy way to add nutrients to your diet and strengthen your immune system so it can fight seasonal allergies. Try drinking vegetable juice made from dark green leafy vegetables, turmeric & ginger root, and a touch of healthy oil for a major immune system boost.
Dairy products, meat, and processed foods will aggravate your symptoms and should be avoided.
Certain herbs and supplements, such as Spirulina and Golden Seal can help fight allergy symptoms and boost your immune system as well.
Butterbur is a strong antihistamine that can successfully reduce airway inflammation. The butterbur plant, petasites hybridus, is grown best in wet marshland, damp forest soil, or on riverbanks. Butterbur extract is taken from the leaf, roots, or bulb of the plant. It contains two chemicals called petasin and isopetasin which help to reduce spasms and inflammation. It is the action of these chemicals that is thought to give butterbur its health benefits.
The use of butterbur to treat ailments can be traced back to the Middle Ages when it was used to fight the plague. Over the centuries it has been used to treat a range of conditions, including: wounds, coughs, and asthma. Today it is most commonly used to treat:
headaches
allergies, such as hay fever
upset stomachs
Urinary tract infections
Take PA-free Butterbur extract 75mg to 150mg twice a day during the course of the seasonal allergies.
Stinging Nettle when properly prepared has been shown to treat histamine overreactions and inflammation. It’s been widely used in natural medicine for at least a millennium, and probably even further back, as a tea, but common preparations now include tinctures or freeze-dried capsules as well.
Some argue that eating raw honey can help prevent seasonal allergies, since it would contain local pollen collected by bees in the area. However, there is a lot of conflicting research about whether it contains enough of the right types of pollen that cause people to have allergies. Nevertheless, using raw honey in place of refined sugars is a healthy choice to make.
Integrative Treatments for Allergies
If your symptoms don’t go away, or you experience severe symptoms work with Dr. Payal Bhandari to help you figure out the root causes of your allergies. As one of the nation’s top integrative functional medicine physicians, Dr. Payal Bhandari, M.D combines the best in Eastern and Western Medicine and specializes in cell function. She defines personalized treatment plan which effectively reverse chronic illnesses patients have been suffering.
AUTHOR
Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. is one of U.S.'s top leading integrative functional medical physicians and the founder of SF Advanced Health. She combines the best in Eastern and Western Medicine to understand the root causes of diseases and provide patients with personalized treatment plans that quickly deliver effective results. Dr. Bhandari specializes in cell function to understand how the whole body works. Dr. Bhandari received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1997 and Doctor of Medicine degree in 2001 from West Virginia University. She the completed her Family Medicine residency in 2004 from the University of Massachusetts and joined a family medicine practice in 2005 which was eventually nationally recognized as San Francisco’s 1st patient-centered medical home. To learn more, go to www.sfadvancedhealth.com.