By Karla Sullivan
Spring allergies can vary widely depending on the individual, type of allergy and home. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, if you live in Louisville, Kentucky for the 2014 allergy season and you’re a chronic allergy sufferer, you will continue to cough and sniffle this year since this is ranked the worst city for spring allergies. Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana don’t have much of a chance either.
The best place to be this year is Colorado Springs, followed by Denver, Daytona Beach, Florida, California, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. The North Carolina area has become worse than years prior though Virginia Beach has improved.
Regardless of where you may live, what can you do about allergy season and feeling better through it all.
Water
Congestion, postnasal drip and dehydration can be caused by allergies. Drink lots of water to flush your system. But it is a good idea to use filtered water versus hard to help manage allergies and asthma. Lemon water also detoxifies impurities.
Butterbur
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, this shrub from Europe has been used for a variety of health issues that include pain, headache, anxiety, cough, fever, and gastrointestinal infections. Today, it is used for allergy systems and according to their clinical trial, butterbur was just as effective as an oral antihistamine. Butterbur products that have been processed to remove chemicals should be used.
Onions, Garlic and more
Quercetin is an antioxidant inside onions and garlic. It fights allergies like an antihistamine would do and is also found in apples, red berries and grapes.
Keep windows closed and clean your home
This includes windows at home, work and in your car if pollen is high. Try to avoid bringing the outdoors in so that also includes keeping pets inside as much as possible. Use a vacuum with a high efficiency filter and wash bedding in hot water more frequently.
