Stop the Seasons Sneezin

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The caffeine in coffee (and tea, maté, guarana and, to a lesser extent, cocoa and chocolate) is a potent decongestant that can help ease breathing when your symptoms flare up. If you’re not used to drinking caffeine, 1 cup daily might be enough to help; if you regularly drink 2 cups of coffee or tea daily, you might need to add another cup.

For itchy, watery eyes, you might try a compress of eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis). Make a tea using 1 teaspoon of eyebright leaf to 1 cup of boiling water; steep for 10 minutes, then strain, cool and apply as a compress. Rinsing with plain warm or cool water also can help relieve itchy eyes.

Food Fixes

Dietary changes won’t provide instant allergy relief, but over time, they help. The most important dietary recommendation is to eat more plant foods, because of their high concentration of vitamin C. British researchers surveyed the diets and lung function of 1,346 residents of Nottingham, England, over nine years. The congestion caused by allergies impairs lung function. Those whose diets were highest in vitamin C had the best lung function.

Plant foods also contain compounds called flavonols, notably quercetin. Flavonols reduce the release of histamine, a key player in allergic reactions — and the reason antihistamines help. Flavonols are natural antihistamines. In a laboratory study, Tufts researchers exposed the human cells that release histamine to a variety of compounds. Several flavonols, including quercetin, reduced histamine release by half. Finnish researchers have found that as dietary quercetin intake increases, risk of asthma, often related to allergies, decreases. The best sources are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tea, nuts and seeds.

Finally, fish is a good bet for people with allergies. Many kinds of fish contain omega-3 fatty acids. A German study shows that as dietary intake of omega-3s increases, risk of hay fever decreases. The best bets are fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring.

Try These Supportive Supplements

A diet rich in vitamin C boosts lung function. Italian researchers have shown that vitamin C supplements blunt the lung’s reactions to histamine. They gave a placebo or vitamin C (2,000 mg) to 16 people with hay fever and then exposed them to histamine, which provokes allergy symptoms. One hour later, the vitamin C group showed significantly better lung function and less reaction to the histamine. Take the dose used in this study, 2 grams a day.

Diets rich in quercetin, a natural antihistamine, reduce allergy symptoms. Weil, who has allergies, takes quercetin supplements starting a few weeks before pollen allergy season. He recommends 400 mg twice a day. Pregnant women should not take this supplement.

Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in San Francisco exposed pollen-allergy sufferers to ryegrass pollen and then measured the extent to which it caused runny nose. The subjects then took 3.5 grams of omega-3-rich fish oil daily for eight weeks. When subsequently challenged with ryegrass pollen, the fish oil group experienced less runny nose. Take the dose used in this study. Note: Fish oil has anticoagulant action. If you notice that you bruise easily, reduce your dose.

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