Seasonal Allergies

It seemed like winter "popped" out in 1 day – 3 weeks early and with a vengeance! Yellow pollen was everywhere a few weeks ago. The cold dry weather this past week has kept the pollen down but made the allergens worse. People are complaining from sinus pressure and stuffy noses one week and runny noses with headaches the next week.
Here are some simple suggestions to help you manage your way through the "hay fever/allergy season –of course I think the best solution is Acupuncture but these help with the symptoms that come with winter. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. There are documented protocols for treating sinus conditions and colds.

Don't wear the clothes in the house that you worked in the yard wearing. After working in the yard take your clothes off in the garage. Then take a shower and wash your hair. Don't sleep on a pillowcase with hair that has pollen in it.

Wash your hands, wash your hands and wash your hands!

Use a saline spray to flush out sinuses or a netti pot with saline and water.

Drinking hot tea with honey (if you can tolerate honey) – any tea would do .

Slice a lemon and put salt on it (if you can tolerate salt) – eat quickly – salt dissolves phlegm and lemons are astringent according to Oriental Medicine.

Drink a cup of hot water with lemon.

Place a really warm wet washcloth over your face and breathe in and out.

Vitamin A, C and D are especially helpful. There are many great Homeopathic Medicine formulas at the health food stores. These are very safe and very effective plus inexpensive.

Rub your face gently but firmly around the sides of your nose, forehead, top of your head and temples. A "BIG" Acupuncture point is between the thumb and first finger in the "web".

Eat more fruits and vegetables and a lot less sugar and dairy. Seven servings of vegetables a day is ideal. Lettuce, corn and French fries don't count.
In Oriental Medicine the following foods are recommended for allergies – green onions, apples, strawberries, radishes, star fruit, and carrots. They help dissolve phlegm and thin mucus. Eating hot peppers and horseradish will open up your sinus also.
Exercise!!! Exercise!!! Exercise!!! Pick something you like to do – dance, walk (fast), or jog in a heated swimming pool.

12/2010