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Allergies |
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Imagine a car alarm that's a tad too sensitive,
letting out a piercing shriek at the slightest provocation. If you're
one of the 50 million Americans with respiratory allergies, you
have a similar problem with your immune system: It treats harmless
dust, pollen and pet hair as if they were the enemy.
If you're allergic, it takes just a tiny particle of the right allergen to put your panicky immune system on the defensive. Your body strikes back by releasing a rush of histamine, the chemical that causes that familiar swelling and running in your nose, eyes and sinuses. Allergy shots and antihistamines can control your symptoms, but there are other things you can do as well. The natural remedies in this chapter-in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor's approval-may help prevent or relieve allergic problems, according to some health professionals. |
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See Your Medical Doctor When...
· You have new symptoms that include hives or wheezing, alone or with severe chest congestion that makes breathing difficult. |
| Acupressure |
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To relieve hay fever and allergic sneezing and
itching, press point LI 4, situated in the webbing between your
thumb and index finger, close to the bone at the base of the index
finger, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure
Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure's Potent
Points. Hold this point with your thumb on top of the webbing and
your index finger underneath, and then squeeze into the webbing,
angling the pressure toward the bone that connects the index finger
to the hand. Work on one hand, then on the other. Hold firmly for
about one minute per hand while breathing slowly and deeply.
This is not recommended for pregnant women, because pressing this point can cause contractions of the uterus. |
| Aromatherapy |
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For quick relief of the watery eyes and runny
nose of hay fever, Victoria Edwards, an aroma therapist in Fair
Oaks, California, suggests mixing one drop each of cypress and hyssop
essential oils in the palm of your hand. Apply the mixture to the
back of your tongue with your fingertip. Edwards says to use the
remedy every few hours whenever hay fever symptoms are bothering
you. "It doesn't taste very good, but it helps clear your head
immediately, and the effects last from one to two hours," she
says.
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| Food Therapy |
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Some allergies may be caused by congestion from
eating the wrong foods, says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive
Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of
Staying Healthy with Nutrition. He suggests his three-week detoxification
diet (see "Detoxing Your Ills" on page 48).
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| Hydrotherapy |
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A vitamin C bath can be effective for easing
the symptoms of an allergy attack, suggests Agatha Thrash, M.D.,
a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines
Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Add three
tablespoons of ascorbic acid powder (available in most health food
stores) to a warm bath. You can stay in the bath for up to two hours.
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| Reflexology |
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Focus on the following reflex point on your hands
or feet, says Rebecca Dioda, a reflexologist with the Morris Institute
of Natural Therapeutics, a holistic health education center in Denville,
New Jersey: adrenal gland, reproductive system, solar plexus, ileocecal
valve and any organ showing allergy symptoms (lungs or nose, for
example).
To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see "Your Reflexology Session" on page 110. |
| Vitamin and Mineral Therapy |
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Some people with allergies might get relief by
taking 5,000 international units of vitamin A daily, suggests Richard
Gerson, Ph.D., author of The Right Vitamins. He also advises getting
more essential fatty acids, such as those found in flaxseed oil.
Flaxseed oil is available in both liquid and capsule form in most
health food stores; Dr. Gerson suggests that you follow the dosage
recommendations on the labels of flaxseed oil products.
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| Yoga |
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Daily yoga practice can help bring allergies
under control, according to Alice Christensen, founder and executive
director of the American Yoga Association. She says allergies are
caused by both physical and psychological problems, which is why
they tend to emerge after illness or periods of extreme stress.
As part of your daily routine, she says, be sure to include these poses: standing sun, knee squeeze, seated sun, boat and cobra You should practice the half boat pose, for about one week before attempting the boat pose. She also recommends that you include the complete breath exercise to strengthen the muscles that help you breathe and meditation to help relieve allergy-related problems such as poor sleep.
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