Seasonal Allergy Help

For those suffering chronic seasonal allergies, in addition to acupuncture and herbal medicine, I’ve found a few other things provide great relief. Consider trying one of these simple suggestions and observe how your body responds.

• Daily neti pot use. Neti pots can be purchased in most drugstores.
• Nettle tea  (one can harvest nettles is NW forests depending on the season, new fresh green leaves are the best, the top 4-8). Nettles can be purchased loose leaf. Only steep nettle tea for 5-10 min. Nettles do have some toxicity if inappropriately prepared or steeped for too long. If you forget and find the jar hours later with nettles still steeping, pitch out that batch and try again.
• Nettles & Quercitin supplement (Quercitin is a flavanol that occurs in many fruits and vegetables). Nettles can be taken alone or together with Quercitin.
• ‘Tea bath’ for red, itchy eyes. Steep bags of green, chrysanthemum or chamomile tea. Cool and store in the fridge in a mason jar (2-4 bags in a quart). Lie down, tuck a small bit of a cotton ball or toilet paper in your ears to catch the drips. Place one of the tea bags on each eye, or use the ‘tea’ as an eye rinse. Try each herb out individually rather than all mixed together so you know what really works for you. Green tea is so accessible and has a further astringent property I’ve found to decrease swelling.
• Limit ‘damp producing foods’. Here I’ve outlined the East Asian medical view of dampness in the body, foods to limit, as well as proactive things to include in your diet and activities in your days. Limiting dairy, wheat, and sugar are pretty effective for decreasing nasal congestion for most folx.

Try one thing at a time. Trying all of these together can be overly drying to the body and/or make it difficult to discern what’s helping. I welcome you to call (206) 920.9929 or email if you have specific questions or concerns.