ecoPharmacist

Natural Allergy Remedies

If you have seasonal allergies, you know what it’s like to suffer from sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion, and sinus pressure. None of these symptoms are pleasant and interfere with enjoying your day. I am sure everyone has tried every over-the-counter solution to make these seasonal symptoms go away. Did you know there are completely natural solutions that can ease your symptoms too?

Probiotics 
You probably associate probiotics with digestion and your gut health, but they also play a role in keeping your immune system well balanced. Keeping the gut healthy, makes the immune system stronger which should not allow so many allergens to affect you each season.

Natural Antihistamines 
Your allergies are an immune response to an otherwise harmless substance. This substance — whether it’s pollen or dust — comes into contact with cells in the mucus membranes of your nose, mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, and intestines. (another reason to keep the gut healthy with probiotics). This triggers the release of histamine. Histamine is a protein that causes all of the symptoms you associate with allergies, like sneezing and cold-like symptoms that drive us crazy. Antihistamines block histamine activity, stopping the allergic reaction.

Allergy medications you buy at the store work as antihistamines. But there are also certain foods and plant extracts that can have similar effects on histamine production. For example quercetin, bromelain, and vitamin C, can all work as natural antihistamines. Talk to your doctor about these alternatives before using.

Honey 
Eating local honey (produced near where you live) really works. The bees eat the pollen that’s in your region of the country, then they produce the honey and you consume that, so it’s kind of like a mini allergy shot. This is a remedy we use year around. Honey in general just has so many health benefits, you can use it in place of refined processed sugar any time you can!

Air Purifier with a HEPA Filter 
The best way to remove spores and pollen from the air is to use a HEPA filter. I find that using a HEPA filter at night helps me wake up with clear sinuses. But if your home air system can accommodate a HEPA filter for the whole house, 24-hrs a day, this is a great way to get relief.

Saline Nasal Rinse
I have never personally tried this remedy, but have many friends who swear by it! Basically all you’re doing is flushing out your sinuses with a saltwater solution, in a Neti Pot, which can help wash away the things you inhale that irritate your sinuses…you allergens. To mix a solution yourself, combine 1 quart of distilled or boiled (then cooled) water with 2 tsp non-iodized salt (kosher, pickling, canning or sea salt) and 1 tsp baking soda. Pour about 8 oz of the solution into the Neti Pot and tilt your head forward over the sink while you pour the solution in one nostril. The solution and irritants will drain out the other side of the nose into the sink.

Natural cures for an upset stomach

Natural cures for an upset stomach, can be a godsend. For me, there is just something really gratifying about finding a ‘cure’ that is natural and in my kitchen. Finding something to soothe your tummy and get you feeling better is easy if you stock a few of the following items I suggest. Of course, a daily dose of probiotics will help prevent a stomach issue to begin with.

Stock a few of these items in your pantry or refrigerator, and you will have natural cures for your tummy ailments:

1. Yogurt: As previously stated, probiotics found in yogurt replace or add the good bacteria back into your digestive system, boosting your whole immune system.

2. Burnt toast: Burnt toast, while not the most palatable choice for some, aids in soothing your stomach and the char actually can help absorb toxins that are making you feel crummy.

3. Ginger: Ginger chews and a good ginger tea will soothe digestion and relieve an upset stomach. A little spicy, but so good for your upset stomach and can aid with morning sickness too.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar: If you mix a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, a cup of warm water, and a tablespoon of honey, you get a soothing drink that will aid with heartburn and will ease indigestion and cramping associated with an upset stomach.

5. Bitters and soda: While most do not have this item in their pantry, it is a good one to consider, and keep on hand. Thought of as an accompaniment for a bartender, this historic concoction is made of aromatic botanicals that have been used as medicine. Herbs, flowers and roots such as ginger, mint, fennel, cinnamon, orange peel, dandelion root, or gentian root and many, many more options are available.

There are many more home remedies to assist in soothing an upset stomach, but these listed will get you started. Here is a delicious ginger tea that I use, to get you feeling better.

Ginger Tea Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
• honey and lemon slice, to taste

Instructions

• Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices.
• Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling, add the ginger. Cover it and reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Strain the tea. Add honey and lemon to taste.

Enjoy, and feel better!

Probiotics and your health

Probiotics and your health are a hot topic these days. Probiotics are live bacteria or yeasts that are beneficial to the body. Most hear bacteria and think bad or disease causing. But to the contrary, probiotic bacteria are considered the ‘good’ bacteria and is needed to maintain a healthy digestive system.

Research proves more each day about the role of probiotics play in keeping people healthy and the multitude of health benefits associated with consuming the right type and levels of probiotics.

Probiotic bacteria can:

• Improve digestive function
• Help with side effects of antibiotic therapy
• Help reduce the risk of certain acute common infectious diseases
• Improve tolerance to lactose
• Enhance immune function

Certain probiotics can play a role in reducing the development of allergies in children, decrease H pylori colonization of the stomach and manage some inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s disease.

Some foods that contain Probiotics include:

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Sourdough bread
• Kombucha
• Pickles
• Fermented soybean paste or Miso
• Kimchi
• Probiotic supplements
• Unpasteurized Sauerkraut
• Fermented soft cheeses like Gouda