Living Green

Rose from our bush!

Ah glorious spring, how I love thee and hate thee, let me count the ways.

Spring is officially here, and while the warmer weather and pretty blooms are nice, the itchy, sniffy, sneezing, coughing, and congestion is NOT.  I have heard from numerous people in the past few weeks complaining about allergy symptoms.  They got me thinking about what I do to combat the irritating pollen.  While there are numerous OTC medications for allergies, a lot of them have unpleasant side effects and once they wear off can leave you feeling worse than before.  Here are a few natural remedies that have gotten us through many-a-allergy seasons.

Neti Pot:

Neti pot and cleansing salt

These contraptions have become dramatically popular and accepted over the last few years.  I might attribute their success to Dr. Oz modeling how to use the pot on the Oprah show.  After all, Oprah can make anyone a star, even if you’re a little pot.  There’s hope for us all!

The main goal of the neti pot is to clean out and moisturize your nasal passage with a mild saline solution.  It’s funky, but it works.  Added bonus: It also can offer minutes of priceless entertainment for you and your spouse.

I purchased mine at Whole Foods with the cleansing salt, but you can also find them on Amazon.  Here is a demo on YouTube for your enjoyment.

Next on the list is ear candling.  This method has much more controversy surrounding the effectiveness and safety, but I can personally vouch that it works for us.

100% beeswax

Ear candles are great if you have any sort of stuffy/itchy ear, pressure in your ear, or excessive congestion in your sinus/ear cavity.  Again they are available on Amazon and the package comes with instructions.

Last on my list are two herbal supplements, Allertonic and Histablock, we use both on and off throughout the year.  After all, allergies don’t only happen during the springtime.

Look--they are best friends!

Allertonic is made by a company called Herbs Etc., and Histablock is made by Nature’s Sunshine.  They contain ant-inflammatory herbs like nettle leaves, eyebright herb, and plant-derived quercetin.  They both promote relief from environmental and seasonal allergies.

I am not a professional and am only sharing what works for my family.  Hopefully, some of these remedies can bring relief for your family too.  Happy Spring, and cheers to clear nasal and ear passages!