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Natural treatment for Allergy Season

Dr Tasreen Alibhai, ND
Natural treatment for Allergy Season

Its May!! The sunshine is here, the weather is warming up. The trees and flowers are already blooming. Yes, its beautiful outside. But for millions of Canadians this is also the start of Allergy season.

Allergies are the result of the overactivation of your immune system in a response to an allergen such as grass, trees, dust, and mold. It can result in annoying symptoms such as runny nose, congestion, itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, scratchy throat and fatigue. This year seems to be a particularly bad year for allergies.

April and May are worse for tree allergies. June and July are worst for grass allergies.

About 40 million Americans suffer from outdoor/environmental allergies according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Many people choose over the counter allergy medications. But these can have side effects such as drowsiness, headaches, and dry mouth. These medications may help the sneezing and itching, but not much for the congestion. About 1/3 of allergy sufferers say their medications don’t even work.

Of course there is always natural treatments to the rescue! They can be just as effective, or more effective than medications without all the side effects.

Natural Treatments

Seasonal allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to normally harmless airborne particles. Mast cells in your body, lining the mucus membranes, release histamine. This leads to the symptoms of seasonal allergies.

Natural anti-histamines can be very effective in reducing the symptoms of allergies and providing relief without the side effects of over the counter medications.

*The information provided is not intended to diagnose or treat any health condition. Please consult with your doctor or naturopathic doctor before starting any new supplement program as they may have interactions with certain medications. *
  1. Butterbur is a plant native to Europe, Asia and N America. It has some pretty good research to support its use in Seasonal allergies. In fact, it has been found to be just as effective as Allegra in treating allergic rhinitis.

    In a 2 week double blind controlled study that compared Butturbur extract (one tablet 3 times a day), Allegra and placebo in 330 patients. Butturbur was just as effective as Allegra without side effects. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16114089

    CAUTION: Butterbur contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which may be associated with liver toxicity. Make sure you get a good product that does not contain these pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Again please consult with your Naturopathic Doctor to make sure you are getting the right product for you.

  2. Quercetin is a flavanoid found in food such as citrus fruits, red onions, green tea and grapes. It is a strong antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables their color. Quercetin is an excellent antihistamine. It stabilizes the mast cells that release histamine in response to an allergen. I recommend 250 mg 2-4x/day for either prevention or treatment of allergies.

  3. Vitamin C is one of the best natural anti-histamines we have. It works great both for prevention and treatment of allergies. I recommend 1000mg 3-4 x/day up to bowel tolerance.

  4. Intravenous Vitamin C is an excellent way to get a higher dosage of Vitamin C administered without having to worry about the digestive symptoms (diarrhea) that high dose vitamin C can cause. In our clinic, many patients and our Naturopathic Doctors report up to a 90% improvement in their allergy symptoms.

Vitalia Health care offers Intravenous Vitamin Therapy and supplemental therapies to prevent and treat your allergies, naturally. Call us today or schedule your appointment online.

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