Guest blogger: Julie Ermisch
You might have heard that the allergies are pretty bad in Austin.
What are Allergies?
In Austin, when people refer to allergies, they’re referring to the seasons when there is pollen in the air released from trees, weeds, or plants which occur during different times of the year depending on when they are pollinating. Many conditions affect the amount on pollen in the air including how much rain we have gotten, wind, and sun. Some of the largest culprits in Austin are Mountain cedar, ragweed, and oak.
Our Immune Reaction
Even though pollen is harmless, the immune system assumes it to be a threat to the body systems and orders its immune cells to tackle the invading entity. The antibodies are sent to destroy or neutralize the allergens.
Once we’ve inhaled the pollen, everyone’s reaction is different. Some people do not have any reactions and some people have severe reactions including: nasal congestion, watery eyes, blocked sinuses, sneezing, cough, labored breathing, rashes, hives as well as secondary fever and infections.
There are those who have never had allergies, such as my husband from California, but develop them after a few seasons in Austin.
How to Combat Allergies
Some people take antihistamines to block or reduce histamines which normally come in over-the-counter pills. The problem with antihistamines is that a) you’re usually taking it once you’ve started the allergic reaction and by then, you’re playing catch up and b) there are a lot of side effects including drowsiness, dizziness, and restlessness.
I, myself, suffered for 30 years of allergies in Austin and never found relief from antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays, honey, neti pots or alfalfa supplements. I spent half my life sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing until my brother recommended allergy drops.
Allergy Drops
Homeopathic allergy drops build immunity by giving micro doses of what a person is allergic to so the body becomes safely conditioned to tolerate those allergens and reduces allergic symptoms. It’s basically a tincture composed of up to 100 trees, weed & grass extracts with a water and ethanol base. The extracts are based on the plants in the area you live. They also offer drops for mold and pet allergies. You place a few drops under your tongue everyday and start taking them well in advance of when the allergy season starts. There are no known side effects and it is the same concept and extracts used for allergy shots (but who wants to visit an allergist every other week?).
Some keys tips are to start the drops early and be consistent. They even make drops for kids.
I’m not a doctor (you should check with yours), but I am a mother, wife, and fellow sufferer and we have been able to greatly reduce and sometimes eliminate our seasonal allergies. We can live in peace in Austin!
Here is the link to the brand we take and buy at Whole Foods: http://www.meditrend.com/allergena-zone-5/ PDF http://www.progena.com/productinfosheets/Allergena_Zone5_ProInfoSheet.pdf
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