While the snow may be behind us, spring pollen is now at our doors and can often look like a fine dusting of snow. Sometimes it’s white but often pollen is yellow and can leave a powdery layer on your car and windows. At that point it may seem obvious why pollen could be irritating your eyes and sinus passages. Yet pollen, even when unseen, can cause the body’s immune system to overreact. The body thinks the pollen is a hostile invader and releases antibodies and chemicals (histamine) to defend itself. It’s the histamine which is released into the blood that causes the runny nose and sneezing.
What can you do? Millions of people search for allergy remedies and take antihistamines to block the histamines from building up in the blood. People who do this can have success, but at a price. Many report drowsiness, constipation, anxiety and dry mouth. Ultimately, we don’t know the long-term effects of these synthetic drugs on our bodies. Use caution when taking them on a regular basis.
Nasal rinsing is a natural allergy remedy and is helpful in flushing out the pollen at the end of the day to clear the sinus cavities to get a good night’s sleep. Remember the body’s response to the pollen may last several hours after you rinse (ie the histamine remains in your blood) so you may want to rinse a few hours before going to bed and minimize your exposure to pollen. In other words, don’t go cutting the lawn or setting up the barbecue after rinsing.
But what do you do during the day when the pollen is irritating you at the office or a weekend soccer game? A curious thing has happened to us here at Baraka. Our Sinus Rejuvenation Oil seems to reduce the histamine response in the body, especially if it is used prior to allergy season (before the histamine levels have gone out of control). Now we don’t have the science to back this, but if you’ve read my other blogs you’ll see that scientific research on natural products is all over the map. You need to try different allergy remedies to know what works for you.
Other suggestions to help with allergy season include:
- Reduce your dairy intake; which is mucous forming
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol; which can cause a histamine response
- Purchase an air filter and air conditioning
- Shower at the end of the day to rinse pollen from your body
Limiting our triggers during allergy season helps to reduce our chances of allergic reactions to pollen. Try different allergy remedies until you find one that works best for you; because you know your body best. Read our blog from last week and try some of the cold and allergy remedies that have worked for the Baraka crew.
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