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Slideshow: 12 Natural Ways to Defeat Allergies

Shut Out Breezes

Keeping indoor air free of your allergy triggers can help relieve nasal symptoms. Installing special air filters in your furnace and air conditioning systems can remove 90% to 95% of particles from your indoor air. Closing doors and windows when outdoor pollen counts are high also can help keep pollen and other outdoor allergens out of your home.

Consider Alternative Therapies

While research results are conflicting, some people find seasonal allergy relief with certain herbs and supplements. The best evidence is for butterbur, which several studies have shown can help decrease nasal allergy symptoms. Other studies have shown butterbur may work as well as antihistamines in some people.

Wash Away Allergens

Each time you walk into your home, you bring small pieces of the outside world with you. After being outdoors, your clothes, shoes, hair, and skin are covered with tiny particles from everywhere you've been. Taking a shower and changing your clothes will help wash away any allergens. Leaving your shoes at the door will help keep you from tracking allergens through your home.

Boost Your Vitamin D

Studies show that a lack of vitamin D may cause allergy symptoms or make them worse. If you have allergies, try to get at least 200 IUs of vitamin D daily. Sources include fish oils and fatty fish -- such as tuna and salmon -- or supplements if you can’t get the vitamin from your diet. Although you can get vitamin D from sunlight, you should wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, which can block vitamin D-producing UV rays. 

Wear a Mask

A mask can prevent allergens from entering your airways when you can’t avoid certain allergy triggers, like when you're mowing, raking, or vacuuming. An N95 respirator mask -- available at most drugstores and medical supply stores -- will block 95% of small particles, such as pollen and other allergens.

Eat a Healthy Diet

One study found that children who ate a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts -- particularly grapes, apples, oranges, and tomatoes -- had fewer allergy symptoms. While researchers continue to figure out the association between diet and nasal allergies, eating a healthy diet is known to do the body a world of good in general. To get moving in the right direction, try adding at least one fresh fruit and vegetable to every meal.

Use a Nasal Rinse

A nasal rinse cleans mucus from your nose and can help relieve nasal allergy symptoms. It also can rinse away bacteria, thin mucous, and help decrease postnasal drip. Buy a rinse kit or make one using a Neti pot or a nasal bulb. Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt with pinch of baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. Leaning over a sink, gently flush one nostril at a time, keeping the other nostril closed as you let the liquid drain.

Drink More Fluids

If you're feeling congested or have postnasal drip from your allergies, try drinking more water, juice, or other fluids. Drinking extra liquid can help thin the mucus in your nasal passages and may give you some relief. Hot fluids -- such as teas, broth, or soup -- may be especially soothing because they add the benefits of steam.

Learn How to Clean Safely

Keeping your home clean is one of the best ways to keep indoor allergens at bay. But cleaning with harsh chemicals can aggravate your allergies and trigger allergy symptoms. Try cleaning with ordinary household products like vinegar or baking soda. And use a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter to trap allergens. If your allergies are severe, consider having someone else do the cleaning.

Try Some Steam

Inhaling steam is a simple way to alleviate the discomfort of nasal congestion and can ease breathing when you have allergies. Sit over a hot bowl or sink full of water and place a towel over your head to trap the steam. Or sit in the bathroom with a hot shower running. You can use steam several times a day to relieve symptoms.

Avoid Cigarette Smoke, Other Fumes

Cigarette smoke can aggravate your allergy symptoms, worsening your running, itchy, stuffy nose and watery eyes. If you smoke, quit, and ask others in your household to stop smoking too. Try to avoid places where people smoke, opting for smoke-free restaurants, nightclubs, and hotel rooms. It's best to also avoid other fumes that can worsen symptoms, like aerosol sprays and smoke from wood-burning fireplaces.

Know Your Triggers

It may sound simple, but to avoid your triggers, you first need to know what they are. "I've heard of people getting rid of their beloved pet and then learning the pet wasn’t causing the allergy," says Louisville pediatric allergist James Sublett, MD. Make an appointment with an allergist for an allergy skin test to help pinpoint your triggers.

TOC Taming Nasal Allergies

Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD on December 20, 2010

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