Breathe easy
Herbs that soothe allergy symptoms
May/June 1997
By C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D.
WHEN SPRING blooms, your body gives the signs:
tearing eyes, draining throat, nose persistently on the brink of a
sneeze. Pharmaceutical manufacturers respond, too, with a glut of
television and print advertisements for pills designed to ease you
through the season without the irritation and disruption of allergy
symptoms.
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Herbal remedies can be a gentle, effective, and often
inexpensive alternative to conventional allergy treatments. Some of
them may simply be added to your daily diet. If you suffer from
allergies year round, herbs can complement other treatments.
Your allergy profile
Before embarking on any treatment program, it is important to
identify what kind of allergy you have. This is best done with the
guidance of a health-care professional, who will take a medical
history and investigate whether dietary and lifestyle changes may
also be in order. In my work as a nutrition consultant, I classify
allergy-prone clients in three groups:
Victims of the season. Many people suffer from
allergies only for several weeks during the spring and late summer
when the airborne pollen of blooming plants is most abundant. They
also catch several colds each year and perhaps experience
bronchitis, sinus infections, or flu. They may feel fatigued, but
few complain of chronic respiratory or gastrointestinal disorders.
Seasonal allergies afflict men and women equally. It is believed
that a predisposition to allergies runs in families but that
members may react to different substances or may react differently
to the same ones. A well-balanced diet that includes herbs can help
people with seasonal allergies; many of the components in common
fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants are just what they need to
quit sniffling and start sailing.
Year-round allergy sufferers. Those who sneeze,
wheeze, and sniffle year round, not just during pollen season, may
be allergic to certain foods, animal dander, mold spores, and/or
chemicals. Typically, these people have suffered from allergic
reactions almost all of their lives. For some, eating even small
amounts of certain foods can trigger severe reactions ranging from
hives, rashes, or eczema to asthma, shock, or respiratory arrest.
They may complain of chronic digestive or gastrointestinal
discomfort. The pattern almost always runs in the family; it is
somewhat more common in people with fair complexions, medical
researchers have observed, although it is unknown why. People who
have these symptoms should be tested for food allergies and avoid
any foods that are found to cause trouble. Herbs can help people in
this group—but only after ruling out the possibility that they
might have an allergic reaction to the herbs themselves. A dietary
regime that includes a combination of herbal treatments, vitamins,
and pharmaceuticals may be required.
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