For the majority of people, the onset of spring is a wonderful time. The countryside bursts into life, the sun shines, and the world seems a happier place after the cold and fusty months of winter. Unfortunately, for a section of society, spring brings on a wealth of problems, because it is the season for allergies. If you’re someone who regularly has to fight allergy symptoms such as a runny nose, sinus congestion, streaming eyes, itchy skin etc., you may well be looking for some natural ways to control your allergies. Here’s some of our favourite suggestions.
If your immune system is overloaded this can mean that allergies can be triggered. Your immune system may become overloaded if you are stressed or under pressure. With this in mind you should do all you can to eat and sleep well and generally take care of yourself.
Bach flowers mix 97 helps you to:
Discover how Bach flowers mix 97 can help you
Sugar is highly acid and mucus-forming, and this encourages your allergies. Eliminate sugar for a few weeks and reap the benefits in many ways.
You’ve probably seen probiotic yoghurt etc. advertised on the TV. It’s well worth trying them Research in Finland has found that children born to mothers who suffered with allergies, and had hay fever and asthma for example, were less likely to develop allergies if they took probiotic bacteria supplements. Try live yoghurt containing probiotic bacteria with a side of apples, vegetables and wholegrains as these will help the vital bacteria to flourish. In addition, if you’ve been suffering with a nasty virus or something that required antibiotics, nutritionists tend to recommend high-potency capsules of probiotic bacteria – these can be found in health-food shops.
The liver is at the heart of the body when it comes to dealing with the immune system, irritants and allergies, so it’s important to treat it well. The liver removes many major toxins which can improve how you handle allergies. Do your liver a favour and cut out alcohol, smoking, caffeine and sugar. Clean eating and drinking, and boosting antioxidants and vitamins in your diet will help you to reduce liver inflammation and boost your immunity.
By the same token if you know there are certain triggers for your allergies, then it is worth considering eliminating similar food groups. If you’re prone to hay fever for example, this means you’ll have a reaction to foods such as grain. It is worth trialling the elimination of dairy and wheat from your diet for a few weeks to see if this helps.
Natural antihistamines abound in nature. In some parts of the world it is recommended to eat local honey as an antidote to your hay fever. Vitamin C is also said to help with those symptoms – up to four x 1g tablets daily. Or why not try turmeric? Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory that can provide relief.
Native Americans knew a thing or two about medicine. They utilised stinging nettles for thousands of years as a treatment for many health conditions, including allergies. Nettles do not cause heart problems or cause drowsiness and are available in a dried form for making tea, in liquid tinctures to take as drops, or in capsule form from health food shops.
Green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that blocks the production of histamine, and reduces allergy symptoms. Drink two to three cups of green tea daily for the best results.
Taking a hot shower helps on a number of levels. The steam help temporarily clear your sinuses, but it will also eradicate any pollen sticking to your hair and skin. At the very least, if you’re suffering badly and have no access to a shower, give your hands and face a good wash and keep your hair tied back and away from your face.
Have you ever noticed that when you tuck into a hot curry or a spicy dish your nose starts to run? That’s because heavily spiced food helps to thin out the mucus. This will help free any congestion your experiencing as a result of your allergies.
Try and drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. This will help you stay hydrated and can relieve some allergy symptoms.
You’ve probably used eucalyptus when you’ve had a cold in the past. Operating from the same starting point, eucalyptus can be great for improving your allergy symptoms. Dried leaves in a bowl near where you work or sleep, or inhalation of oil from a handkerchief, will help reduce inflammation. Eucalyptus is also beneficial if you suffer with asthma.
Do you sometimes feel your achievements are not the result of your hard work and skill but are just luck? And do you fear that one day, someone will reveal you as an imposter or fraud? You might have imposter syndrome!
When you think about things that will make you happy, what are the images that come to mind? Wealth, beauty, a dream house, long holidays, a top of the range car? Happiness is not a constant and how happy we feel depends on the way we choose to live our lives.
Nowadays, it can sometimes seem almost everyone has a mental health issue or learning disorder. But, are we too quick to label people, or is it that we are more aware of the problems? This article looks at some of the issues surrounding these sensitive questions.
It's not always easy to tell if someone has depression. While some signs such as sadness, pessimism and withdrawal from social interaction are easy to recognise, other symptoms may be less obvious. And some people are very good at hiding their depression - even from themselves!
As nice as it is for a person to celebrate New Year, it's not so nice for a dog, especially when the loud fireworks go off the whole night. This is really frightening for many dogs. Read our 7 tips on how you can help your dog with his fear of fireworks.
Facing the loss of a family member or close friend is probably one of the most difficult challenges that life throws at us. When we've lost a partner, parent, brother or sister, we're likely to experience intense grief.
Have you ever noticed that some people are instantly likeable? Many people believe that people will only like you because of natural traits you're born with: good looks, talent and sociability. But this is a misconception. Getting people to like you is within your control, and it's all to do with self-belief, knowing yourself and being emotionally intelligent. Here's what to do to be more likeable.
We all want to be successful but many of us find the path to achieving our dreams is blocked by our fear of failure. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, go backpacking around the world or start up a new business, you need to accept that you might fail many times over before you achieve success.
It’s such a positive thing to do and hope springs eternal, so why not commit yourself to a change this year? Here’s our tips on how to stick to your new year’s resolutions.
According to figures from the World Health Organisation, more than 260 million people worldwide suffer from depression. And it's not only adults who are diagnosed with this illness. Children as young as three or four years old can experience depression.
Are you unsure which Bach flowers can help you? Contact Tom for free advice.
