Along with daily exercise, eating a sensible diet and practicing good hygiene are probably the simplest and most inexpensive ways to prevent and treat many common health problems – including allergies.
Hygiene: Keep your nose clean
Gently rinse your nasal passages with saline to keep the mucous layer in the nose healthy, to loosen congestion and to minimize the accumulation of allergens. Two ways of doing this that work well together are:
Nasal saline spray: Use an over-the-counter spray, such as Ayr or Ocean Spray, two to four times daily.
Nasal saline rinse: Do a more thorough cleaning each day. This can be done a number of ways: you can mix a simple salt solution at home (1½ teaspoons salt in 1 cup of warm water) and use a device called a neti pot; you can try a very effective gadget that attaches to a Water Pik; or, another easy and inexpensive approach is to buy a kit called a "Sinus Rinse," which is available at most pharmacies.
Diet: Treat allergy symptoms with food
Our experience suggests that markedly reducing added sugars (read labels!) and other refined carbohydrates (e.g., white flour) reduces allergy symptoms, perhaps because of an improved immune response.
Reducing dairy intake, particularly fresh milk, is worth trying. Cultured milk products such as natural yogurt and kefir may be better tolerated by some, but others find all dairy foods potentially troublesome.
Adding probiotics (friendly bacteria and yeast) is the first thing that many of our naturopathic physicians suggest. HMF powder and other probiotics seem to be helpful, possibly because of the positive effects that friendly bacteria have on the immune system. Some studies of children support this approach. (Lancet 2001; 357:1076-79).
Horseradish and wasabi are longstanding folk remedies that many find helpful (not to mention enjoyable with a piece of lean beef or sushi!). Use a large dollop every day for a week or two and see if you notice any improvement in your allergy symptoms.
Tabasco provides some people with two to four hours of relief. Try drinking a half glass of water with five to ten drops of Tabasco sauce mixed into it. (A useful party trick, perhaps?)
Fish oil improves the immune response to hay fever, so many of our patients take one tablespoon of lemon-flavored fish oil before their largest meal each day with good results. Most people find the flavored fish oil to be very tolerable, so try it before you discard the idea! It's worth noting that asthma, which has many features in common with hay fever, is less common in people who eat more whole grains and fish (Thorax 2006; 61:1048-53).
