My head feels big. My face throbs. When I sneeze, it's four or five times in a row. We're going through Kleenex like normal people go through water.
The allergies are here.
I have horrible seasonal allergies, in addition to being allergic to furry animals and a host of other things. People have urged me to go to an allergist to a.) find out what exactly I'm allergic to and b.) to get allergy shots. Well, a.) I know what I'm allergic to because I know when I break out in hives and b.) I've never met anyone who really had any luck with allergy shots.
I've tried prescriptions and OTC drugs, but they generally make me unconscious. Zyrtec has me asleep in 15 minutes, whether I'm driving or operating other heavy machinery. Claritin and Allegra can claim anything they want about being nonfuzzy-making, but they put me on about a 15-second delay from the rest of the world.
And I'm not that hot on living life on unnecessary drugs. I mean, allergies suck, but they're not destroying my life. I'd like a little relief though, so I've been thinking about more natural means.
Someone suggested colloidal silver, which I looked up and ran away from. It's tiny silver particles you snort. Only, you're not supposed to put a whole bunch of metals into your body, so it can actually turn you gray-blue. Seriously. I prefer sneezing to being a Smurf.
I picked up some bee pollen from Whole Foods in Naperville. Supposedly, you can take a few grains a day, and work up to a teaspoon or so a day. By exposing yourself to your allergen, you're supposed to build up a tolerance. I forget to eat them, so I don't know if it works yet.
Local honey is supposed to help too, for the same reason bee pollen does. I got hooked up with someone who makes honey locally but, as usual, haven't called yet.
Do you have allergies? What works for you?
Julie Todd is the night editor at The Herald News in Joliet. She and her
husband are looking to cut the chemicals and get back to basics -- minus the
granola and hemp clothing. They live in a home they bought last year in
Plainfield, where they're making changes to create their own little patch of
utopia.
I do have allergies but more importantly I have chronic rhinitis - all year. I have a perscription for a steroid nasal spray but I find that a simple saline solution works almost as well. I regularly spray my nose with saline and wash my hands and nose a few times a day. For me, it seems pollen and the rest live on my nose and then if I wipe it or blow it I simply am moving the stuff around on the outside and inside , so I clean hands and nose, irrigate, blow, blow blow and then irriate some more, a few times a day. It helps some. Perhaps the key is really just the saline solution which dilutes what's going on in my nose.
You can also do the natural irrigation technique which involves forcing water through the sinuses to clear them. It's great for sinus infections but would probably help with cleansing the allergens a little.
I've heard the bee pollen thing too but I haven't tried it.
I too have allergies really bad ones! So being a fellow sufferer i totally feel your pain. Using the Nettie Pot (in the morning and evening get it at walmart) does help alot but don't forget to use it. The Dr had told me for several years to try it but i kept putting it off it sounded gross but i can honestly say my life is alot fuller now. I also take a generic claritin and a nasal decongestant (over the counter) both in the same day when they are really bad. I hate popping pills but i hate more to get the nasty headaches and just want to sleep otherwise. I too have heard about the locally home grown honey and i am considering that. I take vitamin E daily and that does seem to help open me up some! Good luck