Time to Breath Easier – Natural Allergy Relief Tips

Are your seasonal allergies driving you up the wall? Natural at-home remedies can be the key to finally taking a deep breath of relief. If you're looking for tips to tackle your pollen allergies, this blog is here to make sure you don't have to suffer any longer. If you need more support, we’ll also explore how functional medicine can help improve allergy symptoms, so breathe easy—we've got natural allergy relief tips for you!

Learn more about conditions we treat: Seasonal & Food Allergies

Seasonal allergies affect 80 million people

Seasonal allergic rhinitis is an allergic reaction to pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds. If you're one of many people who experience seasonal allergy symptoms, it's due to an immune reaction upon inhaling pollen that triggers the production of IgE antibodies.

Antibodies then instruct mast cells in the nose, eyes and lungs to release histamine, which causes the typical allergic reactions such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing, and itchy and watery eyes.

In 2021, about a quarter of all adults and children in the U.S. were diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis or hay fever (1).

Functional medicine you can leverage home remedies to ease allergy symptoms without the drowsiness and other side effects that often accompany OTC allergy medications.

Here are 8 natural remedies to reduce symptoms during allergy season:

1. Filter Your Indoor Air

Our homes can be full of allergens like dust, pet dander, VOCs, and irritants from cleaning products/fragrances. Some estimates say indoor air is up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air (2). By using a high-efficiency air filter or purifier, you can help reduce the amount of allergens in your home.

Reduce indoor allergens with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter that removes harmful airborne irritants from circulating in your home. You should also avoid fragrances from cleaning products and air fresheners that can further inflame nasal allergy symptoms. Be proactive about changing air filters in your heating and cooling systems.

2. Keep Windows Closed

During allergy season, reduce your exposure to pollen by keeping windows closed when pollen counts are high.

Pollen counts are usually lowest from 4:00 a.m. to noon, and at their peak from about 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. so try to keep windows closed in the afternoon and early evening (3). If your allergies are severe, you may need to avoid going outside altogether when pollen counts are high.

Shop: Fast-acting seasonal allergy support

3. Change clothes when coming in from outside

Dust, dander, pollen, and other allergy triggers cling to bedding and other fabrics in your home and are often overlooked as a trigger for allergic reactions. Outdoor allergens can hitch a ride on your clothing as you come in from outside.

For fewer allergy symptoms:

Take off your clothing as soon as you get home to reduce outdoor pollen from making its way inside.
Launder bedding and towels on a regular basis.

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4. Add probiotics to your diet

Robust and diverse gut bacteria have been shown to alleviate both seasonal and food allergies (4). Incorporating probiotic-rich foods into your diet can help boost your gut microbiome. Fermented foods, like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut are rich in beneficial probiotics that support the many immune cells in the small intestine.

You can also take a high-quality probiotic supplement.

If you need help restoring your gut-immune system, speak with a provider at CentreSpringMD to develop an individualized plan to heal your gut with integrative medicine.

5. Support Immune Function

Worsening seasonal allergies are sometimes symptoms of underlying immune dysfunction. If you’re experiencing severe allergies, make sure to talk to your provider about ways to support your immune system.

6. Clear Nasal Passages

Seasonal allergies are frequently triggered by physical particles making their way inside your body through your sinuses. Nasal irrigation helps clear any particles that have adhered to the walls of your nose.

A neti pot, or nasal spray with grapefruit seed extract and xylitol are safe and effective ways to flush your sinuses and reduce allergy symptoms caused by pollen, dander, and dust.

7. Take Herbal Supplements

Certain herbs have been used for centuries to help combat the symptoms of allergies. Many supplements work by reducing histamine, which is the amino acid responsible for seasonal allergic reactions. Histamine is produced by mast cells in response to various allergic or environmental triggers.

Natural antihistamines that help reduce allergy symptoms:

Quercetin. This flavonoid is naturally found in plants and inhibits the release of histamine from your immune system, which helps reduce allergy symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and sinus congestion (5).
Astragalus. This Ayurvedic botanical increases activation of a specialized immune protein called interferon, which suppresses mast cell function, including the release of histamine (6,7).
Stinging nettle. Particularly effective for respiratory allergy symptoms, stinging nettle prevents the release of proinflammatory signals that worsen sinus congestion (8).
Black seed oil contains thymoquinone, which can also inhibit the release of histamine, reducing inflammation within the respiratory system (9). In one study, more than half of participants noticed an improvement in allergy symptoms after using black seed oil for 6 weeks (10).

Learn more: The Benefits of Quercetin & Natural Antihistamines

8. Reduce cross-reactivity

Patients who suffer with seasonal allergies can also have food triggers that exacerbate symptoms. If you notice that certain foods suddenly cause an itchy or stinging sensation in your mouth during certain times of the year, you may have a seasonal allergy to an unrelated plant’s pollen.

For example, if you are allergic to ragweed, you may have a cross-sensitivity to potatoes, zucchini, melons, bananas, sunflower seeds, dandelions, chamomile, and echinacea (11).

Integrative Medicine Therapies for Allergies

Ask your provider at CentreSpringMD about the diverse options available for allergy symptoms. In addition to natural remedies during allergy season, your doctor may also recommend:

Acupuncture
Allergy identification testing
Food sensitivity testing for IgG antibodies
Mast cell stabilizers
Detox pathway evaluation

Contact your CentreSpringMD team today to get started. Together, you’ll find the right integrative therapies to support your body during allergy season.

Following these simple steps will help you get through the season with fewer symptoms and a healthier immune system. By taking proactive measures to reduce exposure, manage inflammation, and strengthen your immune system, you can be prepared for each new pollen season.

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About
the author

CentreSpring MD, formerly known as Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine, provides the best medical care by using an integrative approach to find a patient’s centre—their core—empowering them to spring forth into health.

Blog Reviewed By:

Dr. Taz Bhatia, M.D.

How We're Different

At CentreSpringMD, we do medicine differently. Our focus is on giving you hope and your life back.

Our team of dedicated board-certified providers relentlessly pursue your health until you have the answers that you deserve to change the trajectory of your health—and your life.