According to statistics, thirty to forty percent of the world’s population today suffer from allergic rhinitis. Also know as hay fever or seasonal allergy, allergic rhinitis is the inflammation of the nasal passages as a result of the patient being exposed to allergens such as pollen, animal dander, and dust. While there’s no known cure for this medical condition, patients are advised to make lifestyle changes or to take antihistamine to reduce the symptoms. In their desire to get rid of symptoms immediately, however, most people resort to taking medicine right away. The problem with taking medication every time your symptoms attack is that it’s not giving opportunities for other remedies to work. What’s more, most over-the-counter medication for seasonal allergy have side effects such as making you feel drowsy the whole day or giving you an upset stomach. Even nasal sprays designed for seasonal allergy have side effects and can sometimes do more harm than good to those using them. The good thing is there are other remedies for allergic rhinitis that does not involve the use of medication and only involve natural methods.
Avoid Allergens at All Cost
If you have seasonal allergy, the best way you can deal with it is to stop in on its roots. Since the symptoms only occur when you’re exposed to allergens like pollen and animal dander, the sensible thing to do is for you to avoid them. Pollen count is usually high during summer months and low during cold months. Before you leave the house to go outside, make sure you check first whether the pollen count is high or not.
Keep Air Clean Indoors
An excellent way to avoid allergens is to keep air clean inside the house. Get rid of anything inside the home that might be causing the attacks as well such as indoor plants. If you have a pet, make sure you wash it first before letting it come inside the house since pollen from plants can easily attach themselves to animal fur. Changing the cover of your couch, the curtains, and the cover of your bed and pillow at least once a week is also a good way to avoid allergens. And while studies suggest that the presence of an air filtration at home can only do little in eliminating allergens, it’s still a good way to keep the air clean indoors.
Try Natural Supplements
Finally, consider taking supplements on a regular basis. Supplements don’t treat the allergy directly, but they can help soothe the symptoms. For instance, the biovflavonoid quercetin found in onion and garlic, can help stop the release of histamine. It has anti-inflammatory effects as well and is an excellent remedy for seasonal allergy when taken in supplement form. Bee propolis has also been found to be a good natural supplement against allergy symptoms. It’s rich in nutrients and has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. Visit this site to find out more about bee propolis and its benefits.
Millions of people are suffering from allergic rhinitis and you shouldn’t be one of them. Taking these natural methods into account, be symptom-free the next time the allergy season comes around.