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BANG FOR THE BITE
Natural allergy relief lets you get outside to enjoy the outdoors - but singlehandedly save those outdoors it won't.
COCKTAIL FACT
Sure it is: In 2001, Michael Jackson showed up to a TV Guide interview with his nose covered in bandages. "It is analgesic tape, for allergies," he explained.
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home › tip library › Organic Allergy Relief
Are you a slave to Claritin?
The Bite
Break free with natural remedies. They can be just as effective as allergy drugs, but usually have fewer side effects, so you can unchain yourself from the tissue box without resorting to synthetics.The Benefits
- Abolishing side effects. OTC and prescription allergy drugs have not-so-great side effects, such as anxiety, drowsiness, headaches, insomnia, and a weaker immune system.
- Getting back to work. Allergies result in almost 4 mil missed workdays every year.
- Fewer synthetic chems in pills = fewer synthetic chems that could end up in our ecosystems.
Personally Speaking
Our SF office is one big room and a couple of us get pretty bad allergies this time of year, so we researched this tip mainly so that the rest of us could get some relief from all the freakin' sneezing and sniffling.Wanna Try?
- Sinus Buster Allergy Formula - up-the-nose shooter with the natural antihistamine stinging nettle, plus hot pepper to clear your sinuses - it's more soothing than it sounds, we promise ($16).
- Eclectic Institute Nettle and Quercetin - contains stinging nettle and the veggie-derived quercetin (another proven antihistamine), in capsule form ($10).
- Nature's Way Marshmallow Root - you can't roast them over the fire, but these organic capsules help with itchy, irritated throats ($6).
- DIY Bite: If pollen causes your allergies, try some local honey (find producers here), which has low levels of pollen unique to your area and helps your body build up a natural immunity to it. Also: Vacuum often, keep windows tightly closed, and consider replacing carpet with bamboo or tile.
Mar 06,2008
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Local Honey Ain’t Gonna Help These Allergies
Generally speaking, I'm not allergic to many things. Oh, sure, I get the occasional itchy-eyed hay fever and the odd tropical rash, but in general - having seen my friends and family deal with everything from prescription pills to weekly allergy shots - I feel pretty lucky on the allergy front.
There are, however, a few things to which I do seem to be allergic:
- Bumpy Airplane Flights
- Unnecessary Ignorance
- Cleaning Floors
- Mice
- Inefficiency
- Umbrellas (don't ask)
- MSG
Other than that, I'm all clear.
-Heather... off to unpack after a week in eco-unreal Costa Rica...
Biter Comments...
Wow! I can't believe you guys didn't mention irrigating your sinuses (using a neti pot). I've been using one since I saw it on Oprah and it really helps.
http://www.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20070426_350_106.jhtml
While, I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, if you have chronic allergies, many of these natural remedies do little to nothing. I have mold and dust allergies, and for years tried just about everything, natural and not. As the reader above mentioned, a neti pot can be helpful, although I don't get full relief from it. Currently, I'm experimenting with acupuncture for allegies/headaches.
The local honey thing is definately something that works! When we moved to Germany we encountered many new plants and new sniffles and I instantly started buying honey from our "honey man" (you have to love it when a little old man comes to your door every couple of months to sell you honey) and within no time we were all doing MUCH better. And now, five years later none of us ever has allergies to anything that blooms here in our village or surrounding areas.
SURVEY - QUESTION #23
F.Y.I. "Sunday" is a day of the week.
"Sundae" is an ice-cream dessert. You blew it guys.....
from a journalism grad, K
For those of you that love the idea of using local honey to help combat seasonal allergies, the National Honey Board provides an awesome resource at www.honeylocator.com. You can check out honey producers in your area, or search by honey varietal.
I am on my 3rd year of flaxseed oil to combat my seasonal allergies, and was a little disappointed that wasn't on your list. It has been wonderful, as well as having many other positive health benefits besides relieving allergies. My favorite is Spectrum Essentials - Organic Ultra-Enriched Flax Oil, with lignans 15% flaxseed added (purple label). I never would have guessed such a healthful alternative to allergy pills (which give me hives!).
I've been using a natural allergy supplement called Aller Rescue from Peak Nutrients. It's 100% vegetarian and has quercetin, stinging nettle, citrus bioflavonoids, vit C, etc. It's worked extremely well for me. I got it at www.peaknutrients.com. I have never tried the honey thing but I will definitely look into it. Thanks for all the great tips!
The answer is acupuncture + herbs. My acupuncturist has gotten so many people off claritin, permanently. That means cured, and not a lifetime dependency on the treatments, since it changes the imbalances in your body.
Regarding the March 5th tip about organic meat...
Um, I'm sorry, but I'm awfully sick of hearing and reading about how to make the world greener by eating organic and "ethically raised" meat. It's nonsense on so many levels, and it seems that promoting and buying this type of meat is only a PC way of appeasing meat-eaters' consciences. If you want to see some green progress and really feel like a decent human being when you sit down to a meal, GIVE UP YOUR ANIMAL PRODUCT-CONSUMING WAYS!
Environmentally speaking, supporting the animal product industry is worse than driving the biggest Hummer on the market. As I'm sure so many of you know, the greenhouse gas contribution from the methane that animals produce is WAY higher than that contribution of automobile emissions. So, congratulations if you drive a Hybrid. But if you're driving it to your local farmers market to pick up some organic steaks, I'd suggest you take a long and hard look at your REAL carbon footprint. Walk the truly green walk.
And as far as ethics go, let's say the year is 1939. Someone tells you, "Hey, you know all those people the Nazis have taken from their homes and families? Well yes, they are being held against their will. BUT! They really lead a fantastic lives. They get to walk around outside a few times a day and they eat organic food and they're truly pampered--before they're sent off to the gas chambers. So put your mind at ease! There's really no need to go to war against those Nazis!" Make sense?
I say to you meat-eating "environmentalists" the same thing I say to meat-eating "pro-lifers": get used to being a hypocrite. Because that's what you'll be until you stop feasting on the corpses, milk, and eggs of defenseless animals.
And to Ideal Bite: tips like those are so lame. I expected more from you guys.
Oops, sorry about the acid-tongued post above. It wasn't meant for this forum. Please, continue your conversation about allergy remedies!
Again with the BS claims with no backup! Come on people! What studies show the efficacy of these remedies you're recommending? How do we know these are worth a damn!? Because you say so!? It'd be so easy to include that info I have to assume that there is none. So you're effectively recommending snake oil salesmen.
I've read about natural honey, and "theories" about why it works, but I have seen scant evidence (hint: anecdotal evidence is worthless for making serious claims about effectiveness) that it does anything at all, and here you guys go again saying matter-of-factly "how it works" when no one actually knows that.
Please note that I'm not saying these things DON'T work, but it'd be nice to see what makes ya'll believe that it does. I guess I'm being a "Debbie Downer" but not all of your readers have disposable income to support charlatans.
Did you know placebos can remove warts? Prayer might very well be as effective as some of these remedies - provided that you believe it's going to work.
Just a small word of caution--if you're taking "conventional" medicine and you want to add an herbal remedy to the mix, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first to make sure that you don't get a couple of things in your system reacting together in a bad way. I'm pretty sure the FDA doesn't regulate claims made by makers of herbal remedies, so they can kind of say whatever they want. I'm not a nurse, I'm just a technician at a local hospital, but I know I've seen one patient who came in having a terrible time breathing and the doctors were thinking it was because he had added some sort of herb to his regular medicine and there was a harmful interaction. It might have been something else, but that was the early thinking when I saw him. His daughter kept saying "But the bottle said that it doesn't cause any harmful interactions!" The doctors just said that pretty much everything reacts with something. That's not a bad record for the number of patients I've seen, but you don't want to be that guy! I'm not saying don't take them, or that they don't work, I'm just asking that you please be careful and check with a doctor or pharmacist first.
My grandmother had bad allergies with red, teary eyes and sniffles. Her doctor recommended pineapple juice since she couldn't swallow pills and it really helped. I'm not sure that it cured it, but it seemed to provide more relief than any OTC medicines.
This is the third time I've tried to post this.
Wow, the Ideal Bite really bites today. Your readers deserve better than you presenting your assumptions as facts. All drugs, whether herbal or synthetic, can have many or only few side effects. Just because something is "natural" doesn't mean that it's better or safe. You seem to have forgotten that herbal remedies don't have to submit proof of safety or efficacy to the FDA so we don't know what the adverse effects and drug interactions are. How can you state that they "usually have fewer side effects" when we simply don't know if that's true? This also means that there's no proof that "they can be just as effective." Because they aren't regulated, you can't even be sure if each dose is consistent in composition and activity within the same bottle let alone from one bottle to the next. You have no way of knowing if they contain contaminants such as pesticides, lead or mercury. In December of 2004, JAMA reported that some herbal products for diabetes and arthritis made India and sold in US health food and Indian grocery stores were found to contain these contaminants as well as arsenic.
I personally have no problem with people trying and using herbal drugs/remedies. I use some myself. But people need to understand the risks and be sensible about their purchases. Plants can be poisonous after all. If you want to use or try herbal drugs/remedies, make sure you are using manufacturers you can trust. Also be sure to find out if there are any known interactions with OTC or prescription medications you are currently taking.
Something for Ideal Bite staff members to consider: Ideal Bite should always be able to back up its claims with reports from reputable sources (preferably noted in the email) and it should never suggest readers change their current medications, OTC or prescription, without consulting with a qualified medical practitioner (MD, DO, ND, etc.) first. I hope you have excellent liability insurance!
Here are a few links that might help readers become smarter herbal product shoppers. Remember to consult with your medical practitioner before changing your medication and/or trying something new.
Herbal Health Products--What You Should Know
http://www.aafp.org/afp/990301ap/990301e.html
Herbal Remedies: Adverse Effects and Drug Interactions
http://www.aafp.org/afp/990301ap/1239.html
American College of Rheumatologists: Herbal and Natural Remedies
http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/herbal.asp
Medical College of Wisconsin: Herbal Remedies
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002492.html
FDA OKs Clinical Trials for Herbal Folk Remedies
http://www.pharmacytimes.com/issues/articles/2007-02_4366.asp
Agencies Team Up in War Against Internet Health Fraud
http://www.fda.gov/Fdac/features/2001/501_war.html
The easiest and best treatment for sinus stuffiness is snorting saline. Just buy some preservatie free saline and snort it in on both sides. Let it sit for a few seconds and blow it out. You essentially flush your sinuses and with regular treatment, you may find a world of difference. Happy breathing!
Yes - I agree...can't believe you didn't mention the Neti Pot!
My mother-in-law, a registered dietician, swears that if you cut dairy out of your diets, your allergies will go away. I know I always stop eating dairy when I have a head cold, and it works to reduce mucus.
"I’m experimenting with acupuncture for allegies/headaches." - Sarah
I get cluster headaches and had terrible allergies. After trying everything, I found acupuncture. Make sure you're guy knows exactly why you're there. I've never been so relaxed in my life. Headaches gone after 1 month and my allergies are almost nil.
Can any of you refer an acupunturist in New York area, preferably in Manhattan? Thank you very much.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Kristin | March 06, 2008 at 06:29 AM