April 23, 2019 In Healthy Living, Nutrition

8 Tips to Address Allergies

Do you have a love/hate relationship with the springtime? Overwhelmed with allergies?

It’s easy to love spring with the sunshine, longer daylight, and the influx of green everywhere. But let’s talk about that green stuff?! Sneezing, itchy eyes, nausea, congestion, headaches can be frustrating due to pollens!

Allergy symptoms are caused when our bodies release histamine in response to an allergen. According the John Hopkins medical centre, allergies are considered a disorder of the immune system and there are so many contributing factors that can weaken the immune system like poor quality sleep, any kind of trauma or surgery, an underlying illness, or times of emotional and/or physical stress. I mean even getting a root canal is considered a stress to the body and can impact the immune system. So let’s get that immune system working for you using these simple tips to reduce your allergy symptoms.

1. Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet / Alkalinize Your Body.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to safeguard against foreign bacteria, viruses, and infection. Chronic inflammation can damage internal tissues, cause high blood pressure, swollen and stiff joints, and encourage the growth of abnormal cells. Focus on adding more veggies and fruits into your diet.

Try this greens drink to increase your antioxidants!
Add more garlic, lemons, probiotic rich foods, and bone broth into your daily diet.
Squeeze half a lemon into water to kick start the digestive process and to support your liver in detoxing anything that was processed over the night.

2. Reduce foods High in Histamine or Foods that Trigger a Histamine Response if you are sensitive

Before cutting out a long list of foods, work with someone who can help you figure out why you might be reacting to certain foods. Or consider food testing. The following foods have a higher histamine response…Alcohol, Caffeine, Cows Dairy, Chocolate, Peanuts, Sugar and Artificial sweeteners, Eggs, Processed foods, Wheat and Soy.

Need help in this category? Check out our Menu Planning Program that will simply the process of getting anti-inflammatory meals on your table! Or, our Nutritionists can create a menu plan focused on reducing that histamine response as well!

Try this Low Histamine Recipe Book!

(all recipes are free of histamine foods and are high in quercetin and other helpful vitamins!)

3. Eat Raw, Local Honey.

Add 1 tablespoon of raw honey daily to build tolerance to local pollens.

4. Increase Your Quercetin.

Many foods contain quercetin, a bioflavonoid that has been found to stabilize the release of histamine. Some foods that naturally contain quercetin are cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts), onions, apples, cherries, tomatoes, and green tea. If you would rather try a supplement, visit our Naturopaths to find the right one for you instead of throwing money away by taking guesses at what you need!

5. Drink Stinging Nettle Tea.

This tea has been found to control histamine release.

6. Use Quality Essential oils.

Try doTerra Eucalyptus in the washer to kill anything your clothes has picked up. It will also kill any dust mites that are hiding in your clothes.
Make a mattress cleaner with baking soda and eucalyptus or tea tree to kill anything hiding in your mattresses. Ask Linda Ljucovic for her DIY recipes!
Do Terra Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint Essential oils (1 drop each) taken internally in water or in a roller bottle for easy application to sinuses. Lemon helps with lymphatic drainage, peppermint helps address congestion, and lavender helps calm the system. This is a popular kit to get started with.
This supplement, Triease makes things easy for busy people. It combines the lemon, lavender and peppermint into gel caps for easy use. It’s a nice option if you are looking for a more natural approach. They work!
Or, add these 3 oils, along with Frankincense to your diffuser to clear the air you are breathing indoors.

Rub frankincense over your chest and neck before bed. Frankincense has been found to increase multiple levels of the immune system, including IgG, IgM, and interferon. In a study published by Phytotherapy Research, when mice took 1–10 milligrams of frankincense orally, it was discovered that multiple levels of their immune systems were stimulated including IgG, IgM and interferon. This means that frankincense has seriously powerful effects when it comes to supporting the immune system.

7. Targeted Supplements.

Visit us or talk to your healthcare provider to find out which probiotic might be best for you. We are all different and therefore need specific approaches based on the underlying issues you may have.

However, some helpful ones are Quercetin, Vitamin C, Probiotics, And vitamin D.

You can grab our 3 favourites here.

8. Try Xlear.

You can clear the pollens from your nose using a popular product containing Xylitol! A netti pot is also helpful!

Give these a try or call the office today to learn more way we can help.

Linda Ljucovic, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Oakville, 289-291-0254.

8 Tips to Address Allergies