More than 35 million Americans suffer from some sort of seasonal allergy symptoms. In fact, allergies are the 5th most common chronic disease that people complain about. We spend a combined $3.4 billion dollars each year on drug and doctor visits just to fight the symptoms!
What many people don’t know is that there are natural, and in many cases, inexpensive ways to bring relief to these miserable symptoms without having to pay a visit to the drug store.
Here are 7 tips for reducing or even eliminating your allergy symptoms:
1 – Install an air purifier
An air purifier will significantly reduce the number of allergens in your home by “cleaning” the air and removing up to 90% of these smaller particles. Having an air purifier installed can be a relatively inexpensive task and is worth the small expense for allergy sufferers. HEPA air purifiers are recommended for allergies as they capture the smallest of particles.
2 – Change your pillow
Do your symptoms seem worse in the mornings? It could be an allergy to your down pillow. The dander in feathers is food for dust mites. You may be resting your head all night long on something that makes your nose run and your eyes water! Replace your pillows with Hypoallergenic pillows and you should see a huge change in your symptoms.
3 – Get your carpets and furniture cleaned
Keeping your home as clean as possible will minimize your reaction to dust mites, mold or pollen. It’s fairly inexpensive to hire a professional carpet company to clean your carpets once a year. For extreme allergies, you should replace your carpet with a hard-surface such as hardwood flooring.
4 – Take your vitamins
Vitamin C, B5, CoQ10, Vitamin A and Omega-3 Fatty Acids are all natural allergy medicines that will help you during allergy season. These vitamins will keep your immune system healthy and it won’t overreact to environmental substances.
5 – Relax!
Stress and anxiety can make your allergy symptoms even worse and longer lasting. While it’s not possible to eliminate stress completely, make an effort for some quiet time. Try a relaxing bath or a yoga class.
6 – Try a nasal rinse
A nasal rinse will clean your sinuses and nasal passages out with fluid. Studies have show that this method improves nasal issues by 30 to 40 percent. These devices are typically called Neti Pots.
7 – Save outdoor activities for the afternoon
Many plants pollinate in the AM, so it’s best to stay inside during these hours to avoid contact with these irritants. Save your walk, gardening and errands for the afternoon.
About the author: Karen Lawes is an owner and writer for www.costowl.com, a site dedicated to providing average cost estimates for common product and services.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Sebastian Smit.