10 Holistic Allergy Remedies
for when your average sneezes per day is exceeding a painful 10
The Spring in NYC is absolutely stunning. All of the flowers are in bloom — cherry blossoms, magnolia, tulips & daffodils on each and every corner. I wake up to the music of birds chirping and bumblebees buzzing in my window.
But the pollen that it comes with….is no joke. I have accidentally inhaled pollen while walking down the streets more times than I can count. It literally is just constantly raining in the air.
Allergies when bad can oftentimes feel as worse as being sick. Sneezing, itching eyes and runny nose, sore throat, headaches, all can come from allergies. & Spring is one of the worst times of year for people.
My whole family struggles with allergies (like my brother has a permanent line on his nose from having a runny nose constantly lol), and I used to be someone who was *addicted* to zyrtec. Like literally would be the first thing I would consume every morning — and if I didn’t take it I would be unwell.
When I worked on my gut & hormone healing, a lot of my allergy symptoms dissipated too — and I vowed to no longer be so reliant on zyrtec! But that doesn’t mean I still don’t get symptoms, especially at this time of year and living in a new place!
I have my vices when it comes to allergy season that actually support my body and make me feel great — and lots of holistic tips from my family, and so now it’s time to share them with you! & PS: sometimes you do just need to take the zyrtec.
Disclaimer: This info is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice — just sharing what works for me. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes!
My Favorite Holistic Allergy Remedies
1. Local Raw Honey & Bee Pollen
The power of the bees!!!! Raw honey and bee pollen have a ton of amazing benefits — and one of them is helping our bodies adapt to local pollen and supporting immunity! You can usually find a honey stand at your local farmers market.
Both of these have been integral in supporting my allergies, I have both pretty much daily. I love taking a spoonful of honey or drizzling it on my meals — and bee pollen is great to sprinkle on yogurt bowls or oats or salads, my mom even sprinkles it on her matcha. START SMALL!
2. Quercetin & Nettles
Quercetin is an antioxidant that can act as a natural antihistamine. It is present in foods like onions, apples, blueberries, grapes, broccoli, kale & cherries. I try to eat these foods during allergy season, but I also like to supplement with quercertin & nettles for extra support to naturally stabilize my histamine levels.
Stinging nettle is a flowering plant that has many benefits — one of the many being helping with allergies. I love to brew a cup of nettle leaf tea — it really helps with my congestion, sniffles & allergy symptoms and it is so soothing.
3. Acupuncture & Chiropractic Work
This seems odd but my allergies drastically improved when I started doing acupuncture & re-alignment. Acupuncture can help ease allergy symptoms by calming inflammation and supporting our immune system & chiropractic adjustments can help to improve our nervous system function which allows our body to respond more effectively to allergens (read more on we are allergic to stress).
4. Air Purifier
The way air purifiers have changed my lifeeee. One of the best investments I have made in my health. That pollen outside gets dragged into the house!! & this traps allergens (pollen, dust, dander, etc…) so that I sleep better, I breathe better, and I feel better overall. I use this one.
5. Going Outside More
Ok I know this may sound counter-intuitive but spending more time outside and connecting with nature has reaaalllly helped me manage allergies. Being outdoors exposes us to a wider variety of microbes, which can help strengthen our immune system over time. Also getting sunlight supports vitamin D levels, which play a big role in a healthy immune system. A higher functioning immune system = less allergy symptoms.
6. Quality Hydration
It has been found that when you are not properly hydrated, your body creates excess histamines which can lead to worsened allergies. Proper hydration means replenishing minerals and electrolytes while hydrating. My fav ways to hydrate — water with mineral salt and lemon and lime, pure fruit juice (I like cranberry splashed in my water or pure orange juice), coconut water, herbal tea, raw milk, spring water and shilajit in warm lemon water.
7. Nourishing our Bodies
Food is medicine! It is so important we nourish our body with quality foods — choose local, seasonal, regenerative — know our farmers.
Regenerative is wonderful because it helps to actively improve and nourish the quality of soil health. Healthy soil is not only better for the environment, but it is better for adding quality nourishment to our food. The more bacterial and microbial diversity we have in our soil, the more we are exposed to it and the higher quality our food is, immunity & gut will be, and allergies will reduce.
Eating a diverse amount of seasonal produce, high quality animal protein, raw dairy, raw honey, probiotic rich foods (sauerkraut, kefir, etc…), healthy fats and reducing processed sugars, gluten and dairy have drastically improved my allergies.
8. Reducing In-Home Allergens
Artificial fragrance, chemicals and endocrine disrupters all made my allergies flare up like no other. Switching to clean beauty, dish soap & dishwasher pods, clean laundry detergent and cleaning supplies, non-toxic candles, essential oils and chemical free products really helped reduce that for me.
9. Restoring Balance to our Nervous Systems
Our bodies are literally allergic to chronic stress. The body releases histamine when stressed as part of the fight-or-flight response, AND high cortisol & adrenaline slow down DAO and HNMT activity, making it harder to clear histamines from the body.
Tapping into our rest-and-digest, parasympathetic state, is so important for our overall health and reducing allergy responses. Read here for more —
& there is no scientific evidence to this but I feel as if a hot hot shower is always so beneficial for my allergies and kind of cleaning and draining me out. It always feels so good lol. I use THIS shower filter. Bonus points by diffusing some good essential oils like peppermint, tea tree, lavendar & eucalyptus (which can all help soothe allergy symptoms). & Sometimes… you also just need a good sweat sesh.
10. Supplements I LOVE for Allergy Relief
Histamine & Immune: I love this blend for all things allergy support & immunity. This really helped me a lot with my histamine response. *Heart&Soil Discount code is glowwithella10*
Quercertin & Nettles: Swear by this stuff for allergies.
Spring Tonic: A great blend to reduce allergies that includes nettle! *Organic Olivia Discount code is glowwithella*
Pollen Defense: When I first stopped taking zyrtec — this was my holy grail omg. I have had so many friends tell me it’s saved them too. *Hilma Discount code is glow20*
Colostrum: This been wonderful for helping to support my gut and in turn support my overall immunity and allergies.
Vitamin C: A natural antihistamine and antioxidant — also very important for nervous system regulation.
Sinus Support: Propolis is amazing amazing amazing I cannot say enough good things about it! This blend includes two of my favs quercertin & nettle leaf too!! I love their throat spray & bee pollen too *BKN Discount code is glowwithella*
Allergies can be so so annoying and even debilitating — so I hope some of this information is helpful in case you are feeling that way!!! LMK if you try anything, what works & what doesn’t, and I’m wishing you all a sniffle free week!
XO - Ella
I really second nettles! I love a tea combo with plantain, nettles and elderflower, taken as a daily infusion starting a month before allergy season until after it's over.
Are there any essential oil sprays to help?