Well my friends, it’s that time of year. Seasonal allergies are upon us and if your hometown is anything like NYC right now, pollen is everywhere. And I mean literally everywhere!
The cars parked on the street are covered in a yellow dusting (including mine!), our windows sills, and in turn my desk, need a daily wipe down, and your eyes are itchy, your nose is running and you’re sneezing like banshee.
It’s an all too common problem that millions of us suffer from each year. It sucks big time, but I'm here to share a few tricks and natural home remedies that you can try to help relieve those pesky symptoms.
In today’s post, I’m going to share seven of my favorite natural remedies for seasonal allergies, so let’s dive in!
1. Eat your greens
It’s no secret that greens are pretty much good for anything. The same holds true for seasonal allergies. Greens are not only good for helping to rid your body of toxins, but greens are also anti-inflammatory, which helps promote a healthy immune system. My favorite way to sneak in more greens is to blend them into my morning smoothie. Get them in wherever you can – your body will thank you later.
2. An apple a day…
Can do more than just keep the doctor away. Apples contain quercetin which is a bioflavonoid that is a natural antihistamine and also helps reduce inflammation. Like the name suggests, antihistamines help counteract the effect of histamines which are chemicals that our bodies produce that cause our allergy symptoms. Other fruits and veggies high in quercetin are cabbage, broccoli, capers, onions, cranberries and even cherries.
3. Sip on peppermint
My guilty pleasure is peppermint tea and chocolate. I have it every single night, pretty much without fail. Peppermint is great for so many things, but in particular I love it for allergy season. Here’s what I do: pour myself a steaming cup of peppermint tea, let the tea steep for 2 – 4 minutes, then hold the cup under my nose and take 5 – 10 deep breaths (in through my nose, out through my mouth) of the minty steam. The menthol from the peppermint will help to clear up congestion and make you feel less stuffy. And it’s just a bonus that it smells good too!
4. Lighten up
Take advantage of your smaller springtime appetite and make yourself a lighter dinner. By giving your system a little break at night, you’re letting your digestive system really do its job and flush out those toxins that are built up and potentially weakening your immune system. When we eat big, heavy meals, we’re making our system work on overload just to digest the food, so giving it a little rest can help ease our symptoms because we have fewer toxins in our body to cause those irritations.
5. Turn up the heat
If you’ve ever had something really spicy, do you notice that sometimes it can make your nose run? Well that’s because spicy foods can stimulate the nasal passage and break up congestion. So…if you’re not a spicy-foods kind of person, turn the heat level up a notch and give it a try. And if you are a spicy-food lover, then now is your chance to go for the red HOT! Spice it up and get your tissue box ready because you’ll be blowing that junk out of your nose all evening.
6. Spice up your life
The next one on our list doesn’t refer to the heat level of your food, but rather an all-star spice that’s pretty much good for everything: turmeric. I’ve mentioned turmeric before on the blog and have shared a bunch of articles about its benefits on my Facebook page, but turmeric really is a miracle spice. It’s known for its anti-inflammatory properties, it naturally helps support your immune system AND it helps with detoxification. I like to add turmeric to my smoothies, my salad dressings and even my morning oatmeal!
7. Get oily
A final, and arguable my most favorite, is using essential oils. I’ve just recently gotten into essential oils and I have to say, I freaking love them! There are so many uses – from sleep, focus, energy, detox, muscle soreness, mood enhancing, under eye circles, etc. – that I find myself reaching for essential oils pretty much all the time. One of my favorite things has been to use what is called the “Allergy Trio” – a blend of lavender, lemon + peppermint.
We diffuse it during the day at our house, but I also made a little roller ball that I carry with me which we rub on our wrists and behind our ears. Since we started doing this, we’ve seen a considerable improvement – less congestion, less itchy eyes and we’re going through far fewer tissue boxes!
Plus, it smells great diffusing all day next to me!
Got questions?
I hope these remedies can help to provide some relief for you. If you have any that work especially well for you, please share them in the comments below! And if you have specific questions on oils (which is a big topic that I just love chatting about!), feel free to send me an email!
