Seasonal allergies? Get relief and save money without medications!

Friday, March 23, 2012 by: Dr. Daniel Zagst
Tags: seasonal allergies, natural remedies, honey

(NaturalNews) What happened to the winter? Spring has started early and with an early bloom comes a long year for seasonal allergy sufferers. If you are one of the millions suffering from springtime allergies already in March, wouldn't you like to enjoy the summer allergy-free? A simple solution exists that can help you rid the meds and enjoy the outdoors.

Medication, shmedication!

There's no doubt that our country is over-medicated, not to mention broke from paying for expensive medications. On top of this, terrible side effects with allergy medications make them a gamble to take. The side effects of a popular prescription allergy drug includes: fatigue, coughing, sneezing, headache, nausea, sleeplessness, sore throat, dizziness and even severe allergic reactions! Wait, isn't the medication supposed to prevent allergies and all of these symptoms? What if you could take something safe and natural with no side effects that you don't need a prescription for and costs well under $20?

Raw apple cider vinegar

With an already seemingly endless list of conditions that benefit from apple cider vinegar (ACV), allergies can be placed right in the mix. Allergies arise due to a histamine response from over-exposure to pollens, dander, dust and so on. Although these may be harmless, the human body's immune response views them as foreign invaders that must be destroyed. People with allergies suffer from a heightened immune reaction to a non-threatening stimulus. ACV works by blocking the histamine reaction and reducing inflammation. Raw, organic ACV can be found in most supermarkets and every health food store. Take a shot of 1:1 mix of ACV and water first thing in the morning and up to 3 times a day. Drinking ACV before going outside can prevent an allergic reaction before it starts. Be careful not to burn the throat by drinking it too fast.

LOCAL raw honey

Besides being delicious, honey can reduce allergies or get rid of them all together. Everyone who has allergies generally knows what it is that sets them off. In the case of pollen allergies, one can likely identify which flower or tree gives them the worst symptoms. Most of the time these are plants that pollinate through wind and insects. By consuming a few spoonfuls of local honey from a plant source known to be problematic, one can build up a tolerance to the pollen and reduce the overall immune response to it, hence curing their allergies. Local farmers markets usually have a beekeeper's local honey for sale and may be labeled with different plant sources for the honey. Purchase honey that comes from the plant causing allergies. If they don't have it, try buying honey from the most local source, as this will most likely contain some pollen from many different plants in the area, further building up a tolerance.

If you can't stand the taste of ACV, add some honey to it to dull it down and make it bearable to drink. These two natural remedies can help an allergy sufferer once again enjoy the outdoors without a box of tissues.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/claritin-side-effects.html
http://undergroundhealthreporter.com
http://www.carlislehoney.com/allergies.htm

About the author:
Dr. Daniel Zagst is a chiropractic physician at Advanced Health & Chiropractic in Mooresville, NC. He has a BS in Professional Studies of Adjunctive Therapies, Doctorate of Chiropractic from NYCC, and an Advanced Certificate in Sport Science and Human Performance. Find out more at www.dzchiro.com