Category: Sinus and Allergies

With the blooming of another spring (even though it’s late this year), many of us can expect itchy eyes, postnasal drip, sneezing, and itchy noses. Allergies affect up to 26% of adults, according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. The symptoms don’t just cause discomfort, but can also come with fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and even tooth pain which can make day to day life uncomfortable.

Let’s look at options to blunt the effects of allergies on our lives:

Lifestyle

• Use HEPA filters in your appliances like your vacuum, air conditioning, and air purifier.
• Wear a mask when outside. Masks can help decrease the ability of pollen to contact your nose and lungs which can decrease allergy symptoms. Bonus points for washing your face, hair, or body after being outside as well.
• Use natural cleaners to avoid irritating your sinuses, lungs, and eyes further.
• Reduce eating your foods sensitivities and pro-inflammatory foods.

Over the Counter Options

• Natural Options
  • Look for ingredients like stinging nettle, NAC, vitamin C, quercitin to help with allergies.
  • You can shop in Fullscript for natural options such as:
    • AllQlear – this egg-based supplement (not ok for egg allergies and vegans) is a delicious chewable that can help decrease inflammation in the respiratory tract.
    • D-Hist – we call this one “natural Benadryl.”
    • Aller-C – A blend of vitamin C, quercetin, and bromelain all help to stabilize mast cells (allergy cells) and decrease histamine.
    • Xlear nasal spray – this has xylitol and grapefruit seed extract to prohibit adherence of pollen and allergens to the nasal mucosa.
  • Nasal Rinses – rinsing sinuses with saline solution will help to decrease symptoms of allergies. Look for NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit available at most drug stores.
• Over The Counter Medications
  • Certain anti histamines are safer in the long term than others. Some medications, like Benadryl, have been found to have a high anticholinergic burden score, which can contribute to risk of dementia later in life (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2736353). See how your OTC antihistamine stacks up here: https://www.acbcalc.com/

Desensitization Prescription Options:

• Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)
  • For severe allergies, BNHC can prescribe a medication called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). This therapy is similar to allergy shots in that we help your immune system to become tolerant to ever increasing amounts of the allergen. We can tailor this prescription to your individual allergens, which we test through a blood test (no itchy skin scratch test here!). For more information look at https://www.allergychoices.com/ and you can schedule with Dr. Michaela Falkner if you’re interested!

Instead of masking allergy symptoms temporarily with medications, naturopathic physicians are trained to look at the big picture to uncover root causes of your susceptibility. 

The Total Load – the collection of challenges to a person’s health

Your total load varies by day, week or over the years.  Like a bucket that is too full, the body ability to cope becomes overwhelmed and creates allergic reactions.  Instead of focusing on a “single cause”, you can make a “little difference in a lot of areas” then the whole system works better. 

• Food sensitivities & proinflammatory foods
  • Are Foods Causing Your Symptoms
  • Bastyr University’s Anti-inflammatory Diet
  • Particulate matter:  pollen, dander, dust mites, mold
  • Toxic chemical exposure: fragrances, off gassing of indoor paint & furniture
  • Improper breathing impairing the airway
  • Nutritional deficiencies – omega 3, phytonutrients, B-vits, Vit C for example
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Stress responses creating inflammatory chemicals
  • Chronic or acute infections

Natural Supplements to manage symptoms: 

While you are working on the underlying causes of allergies, the symptoms still need to be managed.

2 – 3 weeks before allergy season

• Supportive daily supplements – Multivitamin, Omega 3 oils, Vitamin D, Probiotics
• Bioflavonoids which stabilize mast cells which release histamine.  We carry Aller C by Vital Nutrients.  2-3 capsules, 2 – 3 times/day. 
• Optional – Nettle tea with local honey.  1 to 3 cups daily.  Steep 20 minutes for the most benefit.  Nettle is traditionally used for symptoms of allergies and raw local honey may be useful to slowly desensitize people to local pollens by slowly exposing the immune system. 

Once Symptoms Hit: Treatment for Acute Allergies / Hay fever symptoms

• A higher dose of mixed bioflavonoids with Vitamin C (Aller C by Vital Nutrients) 3-4 capsules 3 times/day
• Quercetin (a single bioflavonoid) – high dose instead of mixed bioflavonoids.  1,500 mg 3 – 4 times daily for a few days.  This works great for hives, watery eyes, sneezing and even histamine symptoms for some food intolerances. 
• Herbal Tincture – Allergy Sinus Tincture made at BNHC – eyebright, goldenseal, horseradish, nettle, yarrow.  2 dropperfuls every 1 – 2 hours as needed.   Tastes terrible but worth it because it works!
• Homeopathic Eye drops to sooth itchy red eyes. 

Seasonal allergies can knock down people for weeks and have them relying on medications that have side effects.  With Naturopathic medicine, you have the opportunity to return to a healthy state with positive side effects for your whole body.  Let us know if we can help!