It's hay fever season again
HOLISTIC HEALTH NOTEBOOK
carolSIMONTACCHI csimontacchi@earthlink.net
Having come from the Pacific Northwest, I am accustomed to thinking of March and April as hay fever season. The flowers bloom, sending pollen flying through the air - pollen that lands on nasal passages and sends us into spasms of sneezing, itchy eyes, and other unpleasant symptoms.
I have known many people who were completely debilitated by hay fever, so it is of no small concern to them.
In response, I have developed a system of dealing with hay fever that greatly reduces symptoms. Ready?
1. Empty your "allergic bucket" by eliminating common allergies like dairy and wheat. Dairy products often create mucus in the nasal passages and set us up for more trouble in that region.
2. Stinging nettles are an excellent natural antihistamine and produce no unpleasant side effects. This was discovered serendipitously by a team of researchers who were looking for other benefits of this plant. One of the participants in the group showed up at the research center with a head cold, and within a few minutes of taking the nettle capsule, he noticed that his symptoms cleared up, much as if he had taken an overthe counter antihistamine.
That switched the direction of the research project. They learned that phytochemicals in the tiny hairs on the back side of the leaf do the trick and reduce allergic or cold symptoms, without causing drowsiness.
3. The homeopathic formula from Switzerland called Allergy Relief relieves both immediate and long-term symptoms of allergies. I discovered the power of this natural medicine when my 2nd daughter was about 2 years old. We lived on 5 acres of grassland which was a haven of pollen in the spring. One afternoon, she came running into the house crying. Her eyes were
almost swollen shut, her nose was running profusely, her face was puffy, and she was miserable.
We rush to the health food store. The manager sold me a bottle of Allergy Relief and I put a pellet under her tongue. Within minutes, she stopped crying and her nose stopped running. Within an hour, her eyes were open wide and she was running happily around the mall. By that evening, her symptoms were completely gone.
I have since learned that if one is susceptible to hay fever or other types of allergies, one pellet dissolved under the tongue twice per day, every day, will greatly reduce susceptibility. You just become, for the most part, non-reactive.
If neither of these does the trick, 1000 mg of pantothenic acid twice per day can bring even more relief.
- Carol Simontacchi is the owner of the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel. She can be reached at 472-4499 or on the Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.meta-ehealth. com.
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