vlaze.com

As a Naturopathic Doctor I use a wide spectrum of natural therapeutics to help my patients heal from all sorts of illness and disease. Today I’d like to share with you what’s actually going on in your body during sinus allergy problems and how to deal with them the easy and natural way. In the case of sinus allergies, the body mounts an immune response to substances that it has determined are a foreign threat. This immune response includes a cascaded release of substances including histamine (hence, anti-histamine drugs are commonly used to treat allergies). The symptoms you experience are due to the inflammation and mucus created by the body as an attempt to get rid of the foreign substance. So logic follows that if we decrease the histamine immune response, decrease the inflammation, and clear out the phlegm, we can nip allergy symptoms in the bud. To completely cure allergies requires more personalized healthcare visits, but the great thing I want to show you is that there are many safe, no side-effect natural substances that can help you achieve allergy relief.

Here are my 6 tricks on how to combat allergies.
One, Drink more Water: Yes, I know this sounds too simple, but water is the most powerful substance available to break up phlegm. So staying hydrated is a crucial and often overlooked technique. To figure out how much water to drink… divide your body weight in half. What number do you get? Well, that’s the number of ounces of water your body needs daily. And you will need to drink even more if you drink coffee, alcohol, or exercise and sweat a lot.
Second, NAC or N-acetyl-cysteine: Don’t be intimidated by the name. NAC is an amino acid derivative that, like water, is a powerful mucus-thinner. A little NAC can help liquefy that icky sticky phlegm stuck in your sinuses and make it easier to drain out. A therapeutic dosage for NAC capsules starts at 250mg and does not exceed 1500mg per day. There are some very rare side effects with this nutrient and if taking for prolonged periods, or you are pregnant or nursing, are taking medications, or have a medical condition, then please consult with your doctor on this one.
Number 3, Try Vitamin C: This common and inexpensive vitamin has a bunch of benefits including being a highly potent anti-histamine, which means it has the same effect on the body as the anti-histamine allergy drugs do. Repeat a 500mg-1000mg dose every 15min to an hour during acute allergy attacks until symptoms subside. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin so the first sign of overdose will be some loose stool, at which time you can simply back off and lower the dose a little. A good daily maintanence dose to prevent allergies is 1000-3000mg per day.
Next, Quercitin: Yet another anti-histamine, quercitin has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s an enzyme found in – just like your mother always told you eat - broccoli. To get a high enough dose to effectively combat allergies however, you have to take a supplement. The typical dosage is about a 400mg capsule 2 to 3 times a day.
Also, Freeze-dried stinging Nettles: If you touch this plant in the wild it gives you an allergic rash, but when taken in it’s medicinal form… this handy-dandy herb is another popular and effective allergy fighter. Its’ anti-inflammatory and mineral-rich properties can help to reduce allergy symptoms. A good, effective dose of this is somewhere in the range of 450mg capsules 2-3 times a day.
Finally, The Neti Pot: Looks like a deformed teapot, but actually it’s a nasal lavage container designed to wash the nasty phlegm and germs out of your sinuses. Just fill it with lukewarm water and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, tilt your head over the sink, pour the water into one nostril, and let it run out the other – like so. Even Oprah recommended it recently… so you know it’s good.
All these items are easy to find in the natural supplement section of most health food stores and drugstores.
Please note that these are some of my favorite quick and easy tips that work for many people, but not all. There may be other underlying factors and balancing that your body requires that I haven’t quite figured out how to provide for you through your computer screen yet. If you try these 6 tricks and they do not dissolve your allergy woes, then I encourage you to seek a naturopathic doctor in your area. For all you Los Angelenos, I’m Dr. Sarah Murphy in Santa Monica, CA. Shoot me an email at murphy@lotusew.com or drmurphy@themusiciansphysician.com. By working one on one we can assess what is going on with you as the individual and unique person that you are and can help you nip the root causes of your allergies in the bud. I’m Dr. Sarah Murphy for WebiHealth.com, your source for health tips, medical answers and your overall guide to wellbeing.