5 Ways to Stay Ahead of the Pollen Season

It’s so predictable. Without fail it shows up annually about the same time. Yet pollen, ragweed and other budding, growing and sprouting things and all of its kin catch millions worldwide by surprise year after year. It would be nice to have a ready plan in place before the onslaught of the pollen season.

While millions suffer during active pollen seasons, some have figured out how to plan ahead to stay ahead of the pollen season. They each have run through a number of products available on the market and home remedies from family, friends, neighbors and strangers too; experimenting with each one before finally settling on the one or two that works for them and hopefully their entire household too.

Similar to spring cleaning, you have the ability to keep annoying allergens out of your living space or environment. So in addition to the yearly and highly recommended spring cleaning for anyone suffering from seasonal allergies, add just a few extra items to that spring cleaning list. Assuming you have a good air purifier, also consider spending a little extra on allergen blocking filters for your heating and cooling systems. They can make an amazing difference in the air quality of your home during the daytime and as you sleep at night. If you’re interested in savings, only use these higher priced filters during the spring and summer. Wash the curtains and /or have the drapes and carpets cleaned. Remember to wash your hair often and on high pollen days, put those usually second day wear items in the laundry room instead of back in the closet and leave your shoes at the door, don’t track them through the house. Monitor traffic back and forth through the garage too.

Restriction of particular food groups during the spring and summer months have proved to be a welcome relief for the many for who have had success with this method. The foods groups that are commonly avoided during the pollen season are dairy, meats and caffeine. A variation of these groups are often tweaked with the goal of eating clean simple foods and keeping the system and nasal passages free and clear of food items that are known to create excess mucus.

Try Hot & Spicy

Garlic, hot peppers, jalapenos and horseradish lovers have often commented, even boasted that they don’t have allergy problems and never have. One might reply, “I guess not if you eat all of that hot stuff”. And they’d be exactly right. All that hot stuff is the reason that pollen doesn’t even phase them. Hot and spicy foods keep the nasal passages wide open, clearing away pollen, foreign particles and almost anything else. As long as those eating these hot foods can keep up the pace of the amount needed to defend them against pollen it will continue to work for them.

At farmer’s markets around the world people planning ahead for the pollen season look for newly harvested honey, honeycombs, bee pollen and propolis. The fact that honey bees have a close relationship with flowers, trees and most other growing, living plants, makes the products that the honey bee produces an excellent armor choice against pollen allergies. It’s very similar to taking a flu shot or other vaccine. The vaccines contain a percentage of the actual virus or bacterium that you are protecting yourself against. You would be doing the same when using bee products. Some choose to take only bee pollen, believing it to be enough and it might be for them. You’ll have to be the judge as to whether or not bee pollen alone is enough to keep your pollen allergies in check. You’ll know soon enough. Generally though, by ingesting as many honey bee products as possible, is the same as insulating yourself with protection against pollen and it’s accompanying allergies.

This rust-colored liquid has taken on the fashionable status of an elixir or tonic and has made the rounds in millions of households as a remedy for weight loss, yeast infections, acidosis and other nagging problems and remains a trusted, accessible and affordable home remedy for the masses worldwide. Laden with nutrients like A,B6 and C, apple-cider vinegar, taken daily assists in building up and balancing the body’s immune system. Being shown to be so effective in other areas, apple-cider vinegar has also been found to be pleasantly helpful in keeping pollen allergies at bay. What’s more, its usage is as simple as a couple of teaspoons once or twice a day in a glass of water, with necessary adjustments as each individual is comfortable with. To be prepared for the imminent season, plan ahead beginning your apple-cider vinegar regime each year at least two months before the flowers and trees begin to bud.

Allergy testing isn’t new. Some of us may remember the uncomfortable and often tedious patch testing done one substance at a time with often nothing helpful gained. NAET is nothing like the traditional testing many of us were used to growing up 30 or more years ago. NAET(Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Treatment)is an allergy elimination technique developed by Dr. Devi Nambudripad. Everyone just calls her Dr. Devi. Dr. Devi grew up with many painful conditions and made up her mind early in life to find answers for allergies and other baffling conditions, promising herself to help as many as she could. NAET was the result of her painstaking research, studies and experiments. The NAET method begins with a muscle testing technique that involves questioning the body about it’s own sensitivities, then once identified, going through a 24 or 48 hour process of abstaining from foods and substances known to interfere with the process. Within a few days you are retested using the known sensitivity to see if the elimination process was a success. If you are still sensitive to the allergen the process is repeated. You can receive NAET treatments from chiropractors, at alternative medicine centers or physicians around the world that offer it to their patients.

As you realize that the dreaded pollen season is upon you again and you scramble to quickly find your own remedy. Take your time and choose wisely. Do some of the simple things first like the seasonal cleaning or maybe experimenting with restricting your diet. Also give some serious thought about which type of remedy would most likely fit in with your lifestyle and what you already know about how your own body usually responds to foods,medicines, herbs and other substances. You want to find a long-term solution that will work for you. Once you have found the allergy remedy that seems to be the one for you, then you can breath easy and enjoy the changing seasons instead of cowering every time the warm months make their annual floral entrance.