Don’t Be Fooled This Allergy Season
Seasonal allergies can be managed naturally and BONUS! with no side effects.
As I mowed my lawn the other day, for the first time in 2024, I was thinking about how much my seasonal allergies used to be debilitating and how my journey in managing them with natural methods versus pharmaceuticals has positively impacted my life.
Twenty or so years ago, I was tested for allergies; you know where they use small needles with allergens on them and see which ones react? Well, most of them reacted big time! (They even tested for allergies to roaches. And yes, I was allergic!)
And so began my journey.
I was prescribed:
· a decongestant,
· an anti-histamine,
· an inhaler for my allergy induced asthma (which made me shaky)
· plus, two allergy shots monthly
Luckily, I had good insurance. 😊
I was religious about the regimen and yes, it did help for a few years. Then, as my body got used to the meds, I needed more in order to get the same results. I was given a second inhaler that allowed me to use the first inhaler less. The side effect of that was I couldn’t taste my food anymore. Fun, uh? So, I stopped using it. Why would I want to live my life without being able to taste my food? And the new inhaler didn’t really provide much relief anyway.
Then one beautiful autumn day, I was driving 2 hours through farm country to a work meeting with a client. It was harvesting season. Since there was little rain prior, the air was filled with dust from the crops the farmers were harvesting.
My asthma kicked in and I had to pull over to get my inhaler. After a quick hit, I pulled back onto the highway. In about 10 minutes, I found myself unable to breathe again.
Long story short, I had to call my client to say I would be missing the meeting, and I drove myself to the closest emergency room, which was still about another hour drive. (Remember this was farm country, so no hospitals near the highway.)
That was a wake-up call for me, and I vowed that it would never happen again. Thank God, it hasn’t.
What was the secret?
1) Educating myself on allergies in general.
2) Getting off pharmaceuticals and using natural means to manage my allergies.
3) Using acupuncture to start with to balance my body allowing me to be less susceptible to allergens.
I want to stress here that I worked with my allergist to ween me off of the pharmaceuticals. He was supportive of my decision and worked with me. (If he wouldn’t have worked with me, I would have found an allergist who would. Personally, if a physician isn’t willing to listen to me and work with me, they are not the right physician for me.) Luckily more and more physician are open to incorporating natural healing methods.
Never make major changes like this without consulting your physician whose care you are under.
What I found in my research on allergies is the body can only handle so many toxins. If the body is not given time to deal with toxins before encountering more toxins, it will react. This is the allergic reaction and it can come in many forms: rashes, breathing issues, itchy eyes, and even autoimmune diseases that occur later in life.
Two lessons here:
1) Toxins in your body include things like alcohol, smoking, overly processed foods, air pollution, contaminants in the water, etc. I will also claim that stress is a “toxin” because the body’s ability to remove toxins is negatively impacted and slowed down during stress.
2) Taking care of your body by managing your stress and minimizing the toxins you ingest, will go a long way to minimizing your symptoms.
Below are the natural means I used in addition to acupuncture, and I still use today:
1) Managing my stress through meditation, mindful movement, regular exercise, learning to breathe for calm, etc. (For more tips, grab a copy of my Top Five Easiest Stress Busters, today! https://www.journeytoinnerjoy.com/resources )
2) Natural herbs (these are my favorite go-tos):
o Stinging Nettles, helps to manage seasonal allergies
o Eyebright: for those itchy eyes during allergy season
o Passion flower – a calming herb that helps minimize anxiety, insomnia, etc.; (Also helped me minimize stress induced asthma.)
o Vitamin C – general health
o Quercetin – antioxidant, good for managing allergies.
I am proud to say I am pharmaceutical free, and for the last 20+ years, I have never had a negative reaction to any of the natural allergy remedies I have used. I have also never had to be rushed to the hospital because I couldn’t breathe. For me, these natural means of managing my allergies work better and I feel better than I ever have.
Suggested Resources:
Check out Herbs, Etc. (https://herbsetc.com/ ) for their seasonal allergy bundle (Allergy ReLeaf), and HerbPharm (https://www.herb-pharm.com/ ) for liquid tinctures (eyebright, stinging nettles, passion flower, etc.)
(I do not get any kickbacks. These are just the companies I have used with great results and I trust their efficacy and customer service.)
Don’t be fooled! There are natural, easy and safe ways to manage seasonal allergies. Pharmaceuticals and their side effects are not the only answer.
Disclaimer: This information above is what worked for me. Please note, it is always a good idea to contact your primary care physician before making any major health care changes.
Interested in learning more? I’d love to chat and answer any questions you may have: https://www.reikihealingnetwork.com/loripieper/well-being-consultation