Are you experiencing itchy eyes, sneezing, and congestion with the change of seasons? Seasonal allergies make many people feel miserable. But why do some get hit harder than others? The answer often lies in your body’s histamine response and overall levels of inflammation. Let's explore why allergies occur, and discover natural remedies to help reduce your symptoms.
Why Do Seasonal Allergies Occur?
Allergies arise when your immune system perceives harmless substances, such as pollen, as a threat. In response, your body releases histamine—a chemical designed to help your body defend against invaders. However, when histamine is released in excess, it can lead to the classic allergy symptoms: sneezing, congestion, watery eyes, and itching. This is where your “histamine bucket” comes into play.
Your "Histamine Bucket"
Imagine your body as a bucket. Every day, exposure to factors like stress, certain foods, toxins, and pathogens triggers the release of histamine, gradually filling your bucket. If it becomes too full from constant exposure to these triggers, even a small amount of something like seasonal allergens can cause it to overflow. When that happens, your body struggles to cope, leading to those frustrating allergy symptoms.
The key to managing allergies naturally is to reduce inflammation, which helps lower the amount of histamine in your "bucket" and prevents it from overflowing.
Here are ways to lower your "Histamine Bucket":
10 Ways to Naturally Reduce Allergy Symptoms
Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Focus on a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods, including leafy greens, berries, fatty fish, and healthy fats like olive oil. Avoid foods that are known to increase inflammation, such as refined sugars, processed foods, and industrial oils.
Quercetin-Rich Foods: a powerful flavonoid that can help stabilize the cells that release histamine, lowering your overall histamine levels. Foods rich in quercetin include apples, garlic, onions, berries, and green tea.
Probiotics and Gut Health: Include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir, take a high-quality probiotic supplement as well as incorporate prebiotic rich foods like vegetables & lentils to support your gut microbiome.
Nettle tea: nettles is a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory herb that can be consumed as a tea. 1-2 cups per day can help to reduce sneezing, itching, and congestion.
Local Raw Honey: consuming small amount of local raw honey can help build immunity to local pollen, desensitizing your immune system and helping to reduce the severity of your allergic reactions over time.
Vitamin C Rich Foods: a natural antihistamine found in food such as oranges, bell peppers, and strawberries, incorporating plenty of Vitamin C into your diet is a great way to support your immune system.
Hydration: Staying hydrated supports your body’s natural detoxification processes, helping to flush out excess histamine and reduce overall inflammation.
Reduce Histamine-Rich Foods: by reducing foods that are naturally high in histamines during allergy season can help to prevent your histamine bucket from overflowing. These foods include fermented foods, aged cheeses, alcohol (especially wine), and cured meats.
Neti Pot or Saline Rinse: can help clear out pollen and other allergens from your nasal passages, reducing congestion and irritation.
HEPA Air Filter: can significantly reduce the allergens in your home reducing your exposure to airborne allergens, reducing the overall histamine load in your system.
Supporting Your Body Naturally
Managing seasonal allergies is about more than just avoiding pollen. By reducing the amount of “water” in your histamine bucket—through an anti-inflammatory diet, natural antihistamine foods, and supportive lifestyle practices—you can reduce your allergy symptoms and enjoy the change in seasons without discomfort. As naturopathic practitioners, we focus on treating the root cause of your allergies, helping you restore balance in your body so you can breathe easy year-round.
If you’d like to learn more about how to naturally reduce your histamine load with a personalized treatment plan, reach out to our office today:
Call or Text: 805.560.1977
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