Living With Allergies - A 5-Step Relief Plan For Allergies

If you suffer from allergies, whether they are seasonal or last all year round, chances are you've tried one or more things that you thought would be effective. But if you're reading this article, chances are you've not found the combination that spells relief for you. For some relief may mean staying indoors and waiting for the allergen producing season to be over. But what a shame that is since there are an increasing number of things that can be done to help ease symptoms and eliminate the triggers. The following five steps will bring you closer to relief from your allergies and allow you to look forward to the warm days ahead. 1. Modify Your Diet--Surprisingly many people don't even consider the idea that changing what you eat and drink can make any difference to the symptoms of allergies. But when you stop to think about it - it makes perfect sense. Your body suffers from the symptoms of an allergy because of the way in which it tries to defend itself against the allergens it perceives to be a high threat.

But the food and drink you eat is what your body uses to create its defenses in the first place. The best thing to do is to try to increase the amount of antioxidants which you eat and drink when your symptoms increase. One of the best ways of achieving this is to drink green tea, which is rich in antioxidants. Almost all teas are good for this, but green tea has the highest quantity, and it has been shown that sipping green tea throughout the day can provide real allergy relief. Increase fruits (especially blueberries) and vegetables such as red cabbage and spinach. You might also find that pinto beans, pecans, walnuts and cinnamon also provide relief. 2. Use Medication--Today there is a wealth of over the counter medication available to keep your symptoms under control. These cover most of the common allergies such as hay fever and pet allergies, and offer relief from most of the usual symptoms like runny noses, sneezing, watery eyes, and itchy skin. If the problem is severe see an allergist who can prescribe medications that will work. 3. Seek Out Alternatives to Medication--Not everyone likes to take medications, and there are alternatives which have been proven to achieve incredible things for many people. One such example is acupuncture which has proven to be very successful for many people and has achieved such mainstream status these days that in many cases health insurance companies are willing to cover the costs in order to help provide allergy relief. The results from these treatments can last a good deal longer, and may consider it to be much healthier overall. 4. Plan With the Weather Forecast in Mind--Many modern weather forecasts will provide information on pollen levels. Although not everyone who has an allergy suffers when pollen is in the air, a vast proportion do, and with proper planning can be avoided.

If the pollen levels are high choose indoor activities for the day. Otherwise, many people wear a mask during high pollen count days, and restricting outdoor time to the shops to later in the day. 5. Remove Airborne Triggers From Your Home--Allergy relief should start at home, and for many people this means using a HEPA vacuum cleaner to remove dust rather than sending it airborne again.

Also, using a high efficiency particle arresting (abbreviated as HEPA) air purifier to clean the air is recommended by allergists as a proactive, and non-invasive way to eliminate the triggers that cause the problem, thereby reducing the need to medicate once the symptoms have occurred.