It’s miraculous that spring is considered the randiest, sexiest, “Spring Break!”-iest of seasons, given the red-eyed, hay-fevery, sometimes-debilitating allergies that hijack sufferers that time of year. According to American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) stats, allergic rhinitis (aka hay fever and seasonal allergies) affects between 10% and 30% of all American adults, and its prevalence is increasing. Thanks to global warming and other factors, the average pollen season is longer (typically running from March through September) and more pollens are being produced, which may be part of the reason we are seeing an increased prevalence of allergic diseases—so says allergist Clifford Bassett, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and Long Island College Hospital.
Suddenly, your outdoor picnic has turned into an alternate ending for World War Z.
Your allergies flare up when your immune system overreacts (mainly to weeds, grasses and trees), the body releasing a substance called histamine to fight off the allergens as if they were a virus. Cue nasal congestion, sinus pressure, sneezing, coughing, a scratchy throat, and red, itchy or watery eyes, as well as fatigue.
What’s more, if these allergies are not adequately treated, sufferers often develop related sinus symptoms, ear infections and/or asthma, says Bassett (see “The Asthma-Allergy Connection”).
Over-the-counter and prescription meds such as antihistamines, decongestants and corticosteroids (in the form of pills, nasal sprays and eyedrops) can provide temporary relief but can also cause unpleasant side effects, such as drowsiness and dry mouth. Again, spring, romantic—really? While the “big guns” of immunotherapy (aka allergy shots) are often effective, they can be time-consuming and expensive. So before you go sneezing over to the pharmacist or your doctor, try implementing the following lifestyle changes and natural remedies.
Minimizing the amount of pollen you’re being exposed to is your first and simplest line of defense. Here’s how:
It may be time to finally catch up on that whole season of Game of Thrones—guilt-free. When the pollen level is high, it’s best to stay indoors, says allergist Andy Nish, M.D., of the Allergy and Asthma Care Center in Gainesville, Ga. Learn the pollen count by checking your local TV weather report or newspaper. Or go to pollen.com and type in your zip code for a four-day forecast. Bonus: You can sign up for allergy alert e-mails or download a smartphone app that will notify you when the pollen count is on the rise.
“Pollen levels are typically higher on sunny, dry and windy days and lower on cooler, moist and windless days,” Bassett says. Many grasses and other plants pollinate early in the day, making mornings (particularly between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.) notoriously bad for allergy sufferers. So wait until the late afternoon or early evening to take the dog for a long walk or weed your flowerbed.
Exercise can often help alleviate nasal congestion so you can breathe better—unless you’re outside sucking in pollen, says Bassett. Whenever possible, stick to indoor workouts, especially when the pollen count outdoors is moderate to high. And the AAAAI emphasizes that overdoing physical activity could exacerbate symptoms rather than help.
Recent research shows that using a neti pot to rinse allergens out of your nasal passages can ease congestion and sinus pressure. Elana Gelman, N.D., a naturopathic doctor with the University of Bridgeport Naturopathic Medicine Clinic in Connecticut, recommends filling the device with 8 ounces of warm purified (distilled or deionized) water mixed with ¼ teaspoon salt. Or buy a neti pot that comes with premixed saline. (Never use tap water; doing so was recently associated with a few fatal brain infections in Louisiana.) For best results, use a neti pot in the morning and again just before bed, suggests Gelman.
In extreme cases, it’s best to keep pollen out of your house (and especially your bedroom) altogether by ditching your shoes and changing into clean duds at the door. Put dirty clothes in a laundry bag or hamper with a lid, then wash them in hot water and toss in the dryer (never hang them to dry outdoors!). Rinse your hair nightly so your pillowcase doesn’t get covered with the stuff, Bassett suggests.
Sunglasses (particularly wraparounds) can help keep pollen out of your eyes. Make that snowboarder look work for you!
Use air-conditioning in your home and car to keep cool, no matter how much you crave fresh air. And don’t forget to change or clean your home A/C filters on a regular basis to keep the air pure indoors.
Wash your bed linens in hot water at least once a week and vacuum (using one with a HEPA filter is best) carpets and drapes even more often to remove pollen and indoor allergens that could ratchet up your suffering, says Bassett.
“Outdoor allergens can be carried inside by furry pets,” Nish says. Trimming their fur could help reduce the amount that ends up indoors. Or, consider washing off your pet before letting him in and restricting him to one area of the house, Nish suggests. This is assuming your dog isn’t a 200-pound St. Bernard named Cujo.
At the same time that you try to keep pollens at bay, these techniques can help fortify your immune system’s response:
Up to a third of hay fever sufferers experience a worsening of symptoms after eating certain foods, Bassett says. Known as food-pollen or oral-allergy syndrome, this occurs when the body mistakes the proteins in some raw fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, seeds and herbs for the proteins in pollen. Because you never know how you’ll respond, anyone allergic to tree pollen, such as birch or oak, should be wary of certain fruits (apples, peaches, pears, kiwi, plums, nectarines); vegetables (carrots, celery, fennel, green peppers); nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts); and herbs and spices (coriander, basil, paprika).
Grass and weed pollen sufferers may want to avoid melons and bananas; cucumbers; certain herbs and spices (echinacea, chamomile, parsley, paprika, oregano, dill, coriander, tarragon, pepper); as well as caraway and sunflower seeds. It may require a bit of trial and error on your part, but once you know your trigger foods, you’ll be a step ahead of the game.
To further sidestep symptoms, avoid eating any food that gives you an itchy or tingly mouth or an upset stomach during allergy season. Or, try cooking it—it’s typically only when these foods are raw that they cause trouble, according to the AAAAI.
Acupuncture can help alleviate hay fever by calming the immune system and decreasing inflammation. A 2012 study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine found that it reduced symptoms in all the allergy sufferers studied, with no major side effects.
Choosing the right remedy depends on your specific symptoms, says Christopher Johnson, N.D., founder of Thrive Naturopathic in Alexandria, Va. Allium cepa can be effective if you have lots of burning nasal discharge, frequent sneezing when outside, and red, burning and watery eyes. Use euphrasia for bland nasal dripping, burning tears, extremely watery, itchy or swollen eyes, and a daytime cough that improves at night. Sabadilla is for those with intense sneezing, a very runny nose and red eyes.
TRY: Allium cepa, euphrasia or sabadilla ($3.80 for 170 pellets; rxhomeo.com) or Sabadil, a mixture of those three remedies ($11 for 60 tablets; amazon.com). Follow package directions to determine dosage. If you’re unsure which remedy to try, consult a homeopath or a naturopathic physician, Johnson says.
Like acupuncture, NAET (Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique) aims to rebalance your body’s immune system—only without needles. The acupressure treatment takes five to 10 minutes, says Suzann Wang, N.D., a naturopathic doctor at Natural Health California in Palo Alto.
Afterward, you sit holding a glass vial containing the offending allergen for about 20 minutes and then are instructed to avoid breathing it in (by staying indoors or wearing a mask) for 25 hours. About half of Wang’s patients report that they no longer suffer allergy symptoms after just one treatment, while it may take several visits for others, she says. NAET is considered a complementary treatment since it combines Western and TCM techniques, and noted integrative physician Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., swears by it.