Just Say No to Allergy Season

Photo by Karolina Grabowska.

Ayurveda is an ancient science that is deeply integrated with the cycles of the seasons. Nature and the body are deeply connected: the activity in your gut and the activity in the soil involve and depend on each other…. Both intertwine with local weather, microbes, pollen, and energy.

This season brings brightness, warmth, wildflowers, and for many, allergies. Here are some tips for relieving symptoms and living well this spring.

Massage your face.

A simple, but highly effective way to feel better when dealing with allergies, headaches, and stress.

• Use coconut, almond or sesame oil.
• Press on the areas next to your nose.
• Massage outward towards the base of your cheek bones, near your mouth.
• For relief from headache, press gently under the eyebrows massage towards your temples.

It’s tiny abhyanga for your sinuses 🙂

Enjoy local honey.

Eliminate allergy symptoms and build immunity!

Local, raw honey may help you develop immunity to local pollen. This is similar to how immunity shots work. Honey is best to buy from a farmer’s market to make sure it is local and raw. The drawback is honey can only work on pollen allergies. For other naturopathic resources visit you local health foods store.

Sip on hot water.

Providing your system with lots of warm water relieves allergy symptoms because the body has enough hydration to flush irritants out.

• Seasonal allergies can be brutal on the body’s ability to stay hydrated! Siping hot-warm water, and drinking lots of water in general, cleanses the body’s systems and eliminates foreign irritants.
• Hydration thins out mucus and supports sinus drainage. Drinking adequate water is important for overall health.

Throw the allergy symptoms in the garbage.

One way of freeing yourself of allergy symptoms is to practice a visualization meditation.

• Sit with your feet flat on the floor, legs and arms open (not crossing) and palms facing up.
• Imagine the allergy symptoms you experience… and throw them away in a big trash bag. Throw that bag in the dumpster.
• Feel it all leave your body, release it, and allow it to be gone for good.

Rest with your palms open, imagining something or somewhere beautiful. Spend 5-10 minutes sinking into this beautiful presence so that it feels real.

Repeat once or twice a day, in the mornings and evenings.

Use a neti pot.

Traditionally used in classical yogic practices for purification, the neti pot practice eases breathing, providing nasal comfort and relief from inflammation.

• Find one at a local pharmacy or health foods store, and follow the instructions on the package.
• Pour warm salt-water from the neti pot into one nostril and out the other. This wipes out inflammatory build-up in your sinuses, and provides a gentle hydrating wash of the tissues. Practice on each side.
• This works best if there is not too much mucus blockage in your nasal passage already. If the water doesn’t flow easily, gently relax and inhale slightly through the nostril you are cleaning to help the water flow upward and eventually out of the other nostril.

We suggest the use of the neti pot throughout the allergy season.

Eat what’s in season.

Enjoy oranges, and lemons, brussel sprouts, papaya, mango, broccoli, and bell pepper! This will help clear out the digestive tract and give you needed vitamins.

Eat lots of vitamin-C rich foods. Vitamin C blocks the release of histamine from inflammatory cells. It also can help boost your immunity.

• Citrus fruits
• Brussel sprouts
• Papayas
• Broccoli
• Bell peppers

Eat more dark leafy greens. We suggest filling half of your plate with green, spring vegetables at your meals. This will help clear out the digestive tract and give you needed vitamins. Some great greens are kale, spinach, red chard, and dandelion.

Up your spices.

In the springtime, use spices to heat up the body and remove mucus.

 Incorporate these in your cooking, or brew in some hot water to sip.

Drink dandelion root tea.

Dandelion root is an amazing bitter!

• A spring-harvested bitter rhizome, easy to find in teabags at the supermarket.
• Dandelion root offers antioxidant support for healthy liver function and detoxification.
• Try drinking it first thing in the morning, an hour before lunch, and before bedtime with a few teaspoons of local honey.

2-3 cups a day is recommended.

Avoid congestive foods.

We suggest to avoid all refined and process foods, as well as very salty and very sweet foods. This means taking a break from deep-fried foods, cold beverages, ice cream, cheese, canned foods, and leftovers. Practice what will benefit your health, but don’t force yourself not to enjoy what you love. Discipline is self-care, not self-hate.

We also suggest reducing dairy, wheat, grains, nuts, and seeds intake. These foods can congest sinuses by increasing mucus formation. Beans can be good for spring season, but make sure to use with asafoetida to reduce gas and bloating.

We offer this to support you in living joyfully and thriving in a healthy life! We welcome your feedback and love to hear when our tips support you, and when they don’t work. Email us at info@scayurveda.com, or call +1(831)295-6279. Enjoy the beautiful spring weather, allergy-free!

4/30/2024