It has nothing to do with hay and rarely
produces a fever, but hay fever still makes nearly 30 million Americans
miserable on an annual basis. Most people with allergies are sensitive to pollen-either tree, grass, or ragweed-and they
make up the largest group of allergy sufferers. (North America
is host to seventeen species of ragweed.) Their symptoms are seasonal, with tree pollen usually most plentiful from March to
May, grasses from May to July, and ragweed from August to October. These
seasons vary according to your locale and weather conditions. If the highly
allergic person also has asthma, then the same pollen or allergens that trigger
the nasal symptoms can also precipitate an asthmatic attack.Approximately 90 percent of children and 50
percent of adults with asthma, also have allergies.
Human beings, along with most other
mammals, are meant to breathe through our noses. When a stuffy nose prevents us
from doing so, as most of us are well aware, it can be very unpleasant and
uncomfortable. Nasal congestion is the most frequent and possibly the most
troublesome symptom of allergies or hay fever. It results from the swelling and inflammation of the nasal mucous
membrane. This inflammation is the key factor in causing hyperreactivity of the
nasal mucosa, resulting in the other common nasal allergy symptoms of sneezing
and itching. Allergies play a
significant role in contributing to the chronic sinusitis of at least half of
the 40 million sinus sufferers.A thin, clear mucus drainage is also usually
present with allergies.
ALLERGIES, HAY FEVER, OR ALLERGIC RHINITIS
Primary Symptoms:
•Preceded by personal or family history of allergies, eczema, or
asthma
•Intermittent symptoms: either seasonal (pollen), food-related,
environmentally or emotionally triggered
•Positive allergy skin or blood tests
•Thin, clear/white nasal mucus
•Nasal congestion
•Sneezing
•Itching of nose, eyes, ears, or throat
•Symptoms relieved with antihistamines, food elimination,
environmental clearing, or stress reduction
Secondary Symptoms:
•Persistent or perennial symptoms
•Postnasal drip with intermittent sore throat, cough, or hoarseness
•Wheezing, difficulty breathing
•Skin rash
•Allergic “shiners” (dark circles under eyes)
Along with a genetic predisposition
(family history of allergies), polluted, dry, and cold air can act as an
irritant that over the years can cause the nasal mucous membrane to become
extremely sensitive and hyper-reactive to pollen, mold, animal dander, dust, and
smoke.Food allergy and sensitivitiesare also increasingly more common in
triggering nasal allergy symptoms.The
foods most often implicated are wheat, cow's milk and all other dairy products,
chocolate, oranges, eggs, and artificial food coloring.The emotional trigger for most allergy "attacks" is anxiety.
Unlike the
frequent ineffectiveness of antibiotics in treating sinus infections, the
conventional medical treatment for allergies, including non-sedating
antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays usually serve as an effective quick fix
for seasonal pollen allergy. However, if you are not satisfied with the
conventional approach, would like to complement it or try a nonmedicated
alternative, or you have perennial (year-round) allergies, it is possible to effectively
treat your allergy, either airborne or food, without drugs and their potential
toxic side effects.
Many of the recommendations for treating chronic
sinusitis are also effective for treating, preventing, and curing allergies,
since chronic inflammation of the mucous
membrane is an underlying cause of both conditions.
Helps
to reduce inflammation and heal the mucous membrane. Of
the approximately 700 species of eucalyptus on the planet, only 10
are considered medicinal. The gauge used to measure medicinal
activity is Cineole content. The Sinus Survival Eucalyptus,
E-Polybractea, provides 82.1% Cineole content-the highest
available in the world.
Cineole imparts anti-viral,
anti-bacterial, expectorant, and anti-inflammatory properties
to the Eucalyptus, thus making it an excellent adjunct to the
treatment for sinus infections and allergies.
Helps
to reduce inflammation and heal the mucous membrane.
The
Sinus Survival Nasal Spray is a highly effective anti-inflammatory
and anti-fungal formula for treating and preventing sinus infections,
chronic and fungal sinusitis. It has been the foundation of the Sinus
Survival Program for nearly 15 years, but this newly formulated
product is perhaps the most
potent natural anti-inflammatory nasal spray
on the market.
A type
of bioflavonoid, this is a potent antioxidant (fifty times more powerful an
antioxidant than vitamin E and twenty times more than vitamin C) and
anti-inflammatory.Most European
physicians consider it to be their first choice for hay fever, and it is also
widely used for asthma. Like many other bioflavonoids, this substance is
helpful in treating allergies because it prevents the release of histamine.
Natural D-Hist The only product that
combines Quercetin, Stinging Nettles, Bromelain, and NAC (N-Acetyl
L-Cysteine-an amino acid that helps to thin mucus), in the appropriate
therapeutic dosages.It is also
available for kids in lemon-lime chewable tablet (D-Hist Jr.).
Stinging
nettles
(an herb) and quercetin (a powerful bioflavanoid
naturally found in onions that also acts as an antioxidant; should be taken on
an empty stomach along with bromelain, a digestive enzyme).
Homeopathics
Sinusin Nasal Spray(formerly Euphorbium
Nasal Spray) and Allergy (tablets) – both are
excellent homeopathic remedies available at most health food stores.
Vitamin C
Effective
in the treatment and prevention of colds, allergies, and sinus infections. In
addition to its antioxidant properties, vitamin C can block allergic reactions
and rebuild healthy mucous membranes, making it a natural antihistamine.It also has an anti-inflammatory effect, and
is essential to the manufacture of collagen, the main supportive protein of
skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, and connective tissue.
