Spring:Most people associate it with budding nature, the chirping of birds and the warming rays of the sun – but for many it also means watery eyes and runny noses. Because pollen and grasses often turn out to be pure irritants and cause a violent reaction of the immune system when inhaled. With the right diet, you can reduce allergic reactions right from the start. Below are some tips for people with hay fever, which can be easily implemented at home.
A balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is essential. For example, apples, spinach, broccoli, bell pepper and whole grain products strengthen the immune system with important vitamins and minerals and at the same time have anti-inflammatory effects.
Hint: Boil the peeled grapefruit and lemon with a cup of water for 15 minutes. Chilled with a little natural honey, they are an effective home remedy for relieving hay fever.
These are mainly found in fatty sea fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and tuna. With an increased absorption, they inhibit inflammatory substances that the organism produces after exposure to allergens.
Hint: Also use high-quality linseed, walnut or rapeseed oil. The vegetable alpha-linolenic acid it contains also belongs to the group of omega-3 fatty acids.
The consumption of some foods has a simple homeopathic effect. Horseradish, mustard, chili or fenugreek, for example, relieve the hay fever-like symptoms they cause. Accordingly, natural honey also desensitizes the pollen from which it is produced. The quercetin in onions and garlic reduces runny nose and watery eyes.
Hint: A spoonful of cayenne pepper in a cup of hot water boosts the immune system and clears the nose. To do this, take some honey every day and increase the amount slowly to a teaspoon during the hay fever season.
Dried out nasal mucous membranes are a popular breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. It is therefore especially important to keep the airways moist, so that the pollen is intercepted better. In addition, nasal rinsing and inhalation help soothe irritated mucous membranes.
Hint: Dissolve essential oils such as tea tree oil, eucalyptus or lemon myrtle in hot water and inhale or rinse your nose with so-called neti pots.
Animal foods such as meat or dairy products promote, among other things, the formation of mucus and thus hay fever symptoms, the same applies to wheat and sugar. Food intolerances can indirectly aggravate allergies because they cause further inflammation in the body and weaken the immune system. It must therefore also be clear whether there is an allergic reaction to the following products:bananas, beef, eggs, oats, oysters, citrus fruits, maize, dairy products, strawberries, tomatoes, wheat and white rice.
Hint: Doctors and allergists can diagnose intolerance through skin or blood tests. If you want, you can also test the food in question yourself:take your pulse, consume food and then take your pulse again after 20 minutes. If the rate has increased by more than 10 beats per minute, the product should be removed from the menu for a month.
The body's own messenger substance histamine often causes allergic reactions. On the other hand, natural antihistamines such as nettle, parsley, elderflower or chamomile slow down the release and even help the body get used to certain amounts of histamine.
Hint: Put chamomile tea on a handkerchief along with a few drops of lemon oil and inhale. Nettle has an anti-inflammatory effect in allergic reactions. Ginger tea clears the upper respiratory tract and bronchi. One of the oldest remedies is boswellia (frankincense).
Daily exposure to environmental pollutants, stress and poor nutrition deposits toxins in the body. If the liver can no longer filter these, there is even a risk of serious diseases. Detox, i.e. the detoxification of the body, strengthens the immune system, activates self-healing powers and can permanently relieve allergy symptoms.
Hint: The most effective is a professionally guided detox.
