The sniffling, sneezing, scratching time of year... Allergy Season
In Alberta, allergy season usually hits in May as the snow is melting and gets worse in June with new grasses and trees coming back to life. Unfortunately, some people sneeze all summer! This year, wildfires are hitting the prairies early and hard. The smoke in the air may not be as visible here as it is in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but some of our sensitive asthma and allergy patients are feeling the change in air quality already. That makes it a worse allergy season for many.
Allergies can really limit your quality of life – we only have a few short months of good weather, and if you can’t be out there playing in the yard with your kids, or enjoying your garden – what good is it?
Naturopathic medicine is very effective at treating and preventing allergies. Many people just rely on antihistamines to be able to function in the spring, summer, or fall, and don’t realize that there are other things they can do to help. Who do you see sniffling constantly, with red itchy eyes, sneezing or having asthma attacks whenever they’re outside? Who have you heard taking anti-histamine medications every day through the summer? Those people need to see a naturopathic doctor. We've helped many patients decrease their symptoms so they don't need an anti-histamine just to mow the lawn.
Most people with allergies have what we call a “full bucket”. Their immune system is overworked with all the pollution in the air (including all that wildfire smoke) and pesticides and chemicals in our food. They may also be eating foods that irritate the immune system a little bit each day, making it more likely to fill up their bucket and spill over – causing a full blown allergy attack. We often start by eliminating foods that are stressing out the immune system, and then calm down immune reactions with homeopathics or vitamins like vitamin C and quercetin. Our approach is to address why those allergies are so debilitating in the first place, and use natural therapies to get the whole body working better.
Try these at home to decrease allergy symptoms:
Morning and night, do a nose & sinus rinse with saline solution (available at most pharmacies)
Decrease sugar, packaged, and fast foods in your diet
Drink nettle tea
Eat a spoonful of local, unpasteurized honey to support the immune system
