Are there alternative treatments for allergies?

I recommend you begin by regulating your sleep and physical activity. Do not drink alcohol, coffee, smoke, or take recreational drugs. Go to sleep early, before 11 p.m., and get at least 8 hours. Eat regularly and only eat healthy foods -- no fast food. Do this for two weeks and witness the changes. Then afterwards, I suggest you begin a journal where you can note any specific activities, foods, locations, or exposure that may be the trigger of your allergies. This will also help a practitioner determine the best course of action. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can help to immediately alleviate your symptoms. Consult a licensed practitioner to determine best treatment course.

Yes, there are safe, effective, inexpensive remedies available in any natural food store. They won’t make you drowsy, and the longer you take them, the less you’re likely to need. They are worth a try before you try something more medicated.

See if your symptoms match one of these remedies:

Allium cepa (“SEE-puh”): you sneeze a lot, you have a LOT of watery discharge from your nose (“dripping like a faucet”) that irritates the skin under your nose (“red mustache”), your eyes itch a lot and water pours out of your eyes – but ti doesn’t irritate the skin around your eyes.

Euphrasia (“you – FRAZE – yuh”) – here your eyes are the biggest problem. They’re really red, irritated, burning and itching, and bright light bothers you. Your eyes water a lot, and the skin around your eyes gets red and chapped. Your nose waters too but it doesn’t irritate the skin under it (the opposite of Allium cepa, above)

Nux vomica – the most prominent symptom is the itchiness of nose, eyes, even ears, plus swelling inside the nose – you may have trouble breathing through your nose, but when you try to blow it, there’s not much mucus there. You can’t breathe through your nose because the nasal passages are swollen.

Sabadilla – lots of sneezing! you sneeze many times in a row! plus the typical watery discharge from nose and eyes; itchy red eyes and tingling inside the nose. That’s what makes you sneeze so much!

Wyethia –You know when the roof of your mouth itches and you have to use your tongue to itch it? That’s how you know you need this remedy.

These are called ‘single remedies’. If you can find the single remedy that matches, you’ll get the best results. As a bonus, you may also find that the remedy helps you with other things too – for example, Apis can help with hives, insect bites, and water retention. Nux vomica can help with digestive problems – from heartburn to hemorrhoids.

But if you can’t find a good match, itry a combination remedy which has several different allergy remedies in it. Some popular ones include Pollinosan,  Hyland’s Allergy Relief, and Boiron’s Sabadil.

Because the pollens vary in different parts of the country, ask your local health food store staff for the most popular remedy in your area. Supplementing with quercetin can also be very helpful.

Some people find that alternative and natural remedies for allergies, such as herbal medicines or acupuncture, help relieve their allergy symptoms, but the scientific evidence to support alternative treatments is mixed. Limited research suggests that some alternative therapies typically used to treat seasonal allergy symptoms may help alleviate discomfort by reducing inflammation.

The complementary therapies that show the most promise for providing natural allergy relief include:

• Acupuncture
• Chinese Herbal Medicine
• Probiotics
• Butterbur
• Quercetin

If you're considering any natural remedies for allergies, be sure to talk to your doctor first; some interactions between traditional and alternative treatments can be dangerous. Also, let your complementary therapist know about any traditional medications you're using to treat your allergy symptoms, as well as your other medical issues.

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Many people find that reducing stress can improve allergies. This is likely because optimal adrenal function is vital to regulating allergy symptoms.

Histamine is the mediator governing inflammatory responses in the body from injury (including seasonal allergies). Cortisol production from the adrenal glands is a key factor in controlling the body's histamine levels and, when cortisol levels are suboptimal or deficient, allergy symptoms tend to be more severe.