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Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements Phyllis A. Balch, CNC See book keywords and concepts

Cold, flu, and allergy season formulas from ZAND. This is a line of products designed to support health through the various allergy seasons of the year. Individual formulas include Insure Herbal, an echinacea and goldenseal formula; Decongest Herbal, a natural decongestant formula; Herbal-Mist throat spray; and allergy season, which contains bromelain, nettle extract, quer-cetin, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). These formulas can be used individually or on a rotating basis. Diamond Mind from Diamond-Herpanacine Associates.

Natural Health Solutions Mike Adams See book keywords and concepts

If you're one of the 46 to 50 million Americans who suffer from hay fever, it also means allergy season. Approximately one-in-five Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, making allergy remedies and sinus tablets a major revenue field for pharmaceutical companies. However, you don't need side-effect-laden drugs to make stepping outside during allergy season bearable, as experts recommend a number of natural remedies that can help you breathe easier again.

PDR for Herbal Medicines, Fourth Edition Thomson Healthcare, Inc. See book keywords and concepts

It is often used as a pollen and spore antidote during allergy season. It may aid in respiratory complaints such as bronchitis, sinus congestion, and common rhinitis. Limited evidence suggests it may help prevent altitude sickness and the side effects of cancer radiation treatment. Bee pollen is thought to balance the endocrine system and provide specific benefits for menstrual and prostate disorders.

The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. See book keywords and concepts

Airborne pollens from grasses, flowers, weeds, trees, or ragweed are the culprits, so allergy season officially begins whenever trees and grasses start to pollinate in your area of the country. (In the South, trees can start as early as late February while grass may start around the end of April. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, things may not kick in until May. In the West, you have longer pollination time for grass and some weeds that will hang on all the way into the fall.

A nice, low-tech "elimination" diet might be just the ticket, at least during the allergy season. Take the offending foods out of the diet for a while and see whether your hay fever symptoms get better. Better yet, combine an elimination diet with the natural prescription for allergies and you might find you can throw your over-the-counter medications away, or at least reduce your use of them significantly.

Natural Health Solutions Mike Adams See book keywords and concepts

However, you don't need side-effect-laden drugs to make stepping outside during allergy season bearable, as experts recommend a number of natural remedies that can help you breathe easier again. Though most people don't think of their seasonal allergies until they start to experience the symptoms, wouldn't you love to prevent your runny nose and itchy eyes from happening before you have to suffer from them for even one instant? According to an old wives' tale, rinsing the nasal passages with salt water helps drain the sinuses.

Unleash the Inner Healing Power of Foods The Editors of FC&A See book keywords and concepts

If your symptoms come around every year during allergy season or when you're exposed to dust or pets, it's pretty safe to assume you have allergies. What sets allergies apart is the itchiness in your eyes and nose. Sinusitis. You should suspect you have sinusitis when your cold symptoms get worse and last longer than a week. Sinusitis may give you a headache first thing in the morning, painful sinus pressure at night, or pain when you bend over. Your nasal discharge might be yellowish green or gray and you may have a sore throat from postnasal drip. There are two main kinds of sinusitis.

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements Phyllis A. Balch, CNC See book keywords and concepts

Individual formulas include Insure Herbal, an echinacea and goldenseal formula; Decongest Herbal, a natural decongestant formula; Herbal-Mist throat spray; and allergy season, which contains bromelain, nettle extract, quer-cetin, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). These formulas can be used individually or on a rotating basis. Diamond Mind from Diamond-Herpanacine Associates.

Following are some tips to help you avoid contact with pollen: • When allergy season arrives, spend as little time as possible outdoors, particularly after 10:00 a.m. Grasses generally pollinate in midday and the wind keeps the pollen floating until it drops to the ground at night. • Try to avoid working in the yard. If you must do so, wear a mask and goggles to keep the pollen from getting into your eyes. • Keep windows and doors shut during your local blossoming season. Use air conditioning if possible. • Keep all car windows closed while driving. Use your car air conditioner instead.

The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D. See book keywords and concepts

During the next allergy season they had significantly fewer severe hay fever symptoms than a group given placebo drops.21 Melbrosia, a mixture of flower pollen, fermented bee pollen, and royal jelly (page 582), was reported to help relieve menopausal (page 311) symptoms in about one-third of women in an uncontrolled survey in Denmark.22 This result agrees with an earlier, controlled study that found melbrosia (amount not stated) was more effective than a placebo for menopausal symptoms, including headache, urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness, and low vitality.

Bottom Line's Prescription Alternatives Earl L. Mindell, RPh, PhD with Virginia Hopkins, MA See book keywords and concepts

During allergy season, you can take an additional 1,000 mg to 2,000 mg throughout the day. If your symptoms continue or worsen, increase the dosage to 1,000 mg every two or three hours. If you get diarrhea, back off the dose until it stops. Your tolerance for vitamin C can increase dramatically when you have allergies, a cold, or a flu. The Defensive Herbs We have many herbs at our disposal that effectively strengthen and support the immune system without encouraging it to overreact. You can try a regimen of two weeks of the herb echinacea followed by two weeks of the herb astragalus.

Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common Ailments Robert M. Giller, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Arrange your vacation to coincide with your area's worst allergy season. A cruise—no plants, no pollen!—is ideal. • Remember that alcohol swells your bronchial tissues, so it's helpful to avoid drinking during allergy season. • Use a dehumidifier in your basement if it is damp. • Try to get rid of any old, damp articles that may clutter your basement, garage, attic, yard, or deck, particularly old upholstered furniture, cushions, carpets or rugs, stuffed animals, and stacks of magazines and newspapers. • Keep rooms dry and clean: Use space heaters to dry damp rooms.

Smart Medicine for Healthier Living : Practical A-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Adults Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND See book keywords and concepts

Take 50 to 100 micrograms twice a day during the allergy season. ¦ Thymus glandular extract helps to strengthen immune function and diminish the allergic response. Take a product supplying 30 milligrams of pure thymus polypeptides twice a day, with breakfast and lunch, for six weeks. ¦ The B-complex vitamins help to support adrenal function and strengthen the immune system. For seasonal allergy symptoms, take a B-vitamin complex supplying at least 25 milligrams of each of the major B vitamins each day (between or before meals) for two to three months.

The Miracle of MSM: The Natural Solution for Pain Stanley W. Jacob, M.D., Ronald M. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Father Sam sailed through the 1998 allergy season on MSM only. The parish priest's experience is not uncommon. People who take MSM consistently report relief from pain and allergies. A mechanic suffered from nose and throat symptoms as a result of pollen that rained down on him from the underside of cars as he worked beneath the vehicles. After taking MSM for a pain problem, he noticed that his pollen allergy had cleared. MSM offers prompt and powerful relief of pollen allergies, commonly called hay fever—a major seasonal ordeal for some 35 million Americans.

Another great allergy season in the making." Dubik lay down on the couch, breathing with difficulty. "I'll just try those dumb pills," she said to herself. She opened the bag she had carried into the house with her, pulled out the plastic bottle, opened it, and took two capsules. The bottle contained MSM. A friend had just given it to her and said it might help her. "I had gotten to the point where I would try anything," she says. Dubik speaks in tones of amazement when she recalls what happened next: "I remember looking over to my husband, and asking him how long I had been lying there.

The Natural Pharmacy: Complete Home Reference to Natural Medicine Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC See book keywords and concepts

During the allergy season, two to three 300 mg nettle leaf capsules or tablets, or 2 to 4 ml tincture can be taken 3 times per day. For BPH, 240 mg per day of a concentrated root extract in capsules can be taken.5 Many products for BPH will combine nettle root with saw palmetto (p. 457) or pygeum extracts (p. 453). AreThere Any Side Effects or Interactions? Nettle may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some people. Although allergic reactions to nettle are rare, when contact is made with the skin, fresh nettles can cause a rash.6 In What Conditions Might Oak (Quercus spp.

During the next allergy season they had significantly less severe hay fever symptoms than a group given placebo drops.25 Where Is It Found? Most noncultivated plants produce pollen. Commercial pollen is collected from bees returning to their hives (bee pollen) or may be directly harvested with machines (flower pollen). It is not clear which plants produce the most effective pollens. Some of the most common pollens used are timothy grass, corn, rye, and pine. Cernilton is an extract of several rye pollens, and it is also produced under the name Prostaphil.

Manifesto for a New Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies James S. Gordon, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

I was almost sorry when allergy season ended. That winter, in time away from my work with runaway kids, I began to read in earnest. Initially, I wanted to find out more about the approaches I had already experienced. I started with herbalism, which is generally believed to be the oldest form of medicine on the planet. Some animals, I read, were known to use herbs, and traces of medicinal plants had been recovered from some of the earliest archaeological digs.

Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief Neal Barnard, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

This is why allergy season can make you more sensitive to histamine-rich foods, and conversely, these foods might make you more sensitive to environmental allergens. Of course, we do not really need to know why any given food causes migraines, any more than we need to know exactly why stings from a swarm of bees can be poisonous. We just need to get out of the way. Most people find that their migraines are greatly reduced or eliminated by eating generous amounts of pain-safe foods and avoiding any food triggers to which they are sensitive.

Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies Phyllis A. Balch, CNC See book keywords and concepts

The formula is most effective when used at the beginning and end of the allergy season. It cannot overcome the effect of direct exposure to massive amounts of cedar pollen. Still, for millions of sufferers of cedar-pollen allergies in Japan and the United States, this formula promises allergy relief without the side effect of drowsiness and without prescription drug interactions. Essiac Tea Essiac tea was the invention of a Canadian nurse named Rene M. Caisse, who used her last name spelled backwards to name the formula.

Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems Bill Gottlieb See book keywords and concepts

You can control the red, sore, itchy eyes of allergy season very easily with this technique," says Dr. Dieterichs. VITAMIN C: Reduce the Inflammation Vitamin C helps quiet the inflammation of a case of allergic conjunctivitis, says Dr. Paul. He recommends taking 1,000 milligrams a day. Drug-Free Relief from Constipation Anything from three bowel movements a day to three a week is normal. That's the word from no less an authority than the National Institutes of Health—but alternative doctors will tell you that what's generally considered normal is not necessarily healthy.

The Herbal Drugstore Linda B. White, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

One study found that both menthol oil extracted from peppermint and peppermint essu pplem ents for people with Hay Fever The following vitamins and other supplements may help make allergy season a bit more manageable. þ Vitamin C and bioflavonoids. Although antihistamine drugs inhibit histamine after its release, these supplements prevent its formation. Foods rich in the bioflavonoid quercetin include onions, garlic, and cayenne peppers. The recommended dose of vitamin C is 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams per day in divided doses; for quercetin, it's 500 milligrams two or three times per day.

Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems Bill Gottlieb See book keywords and concepts

To maximize the effectiveness of this herb, start taking it a couple of weeks before allergy season begins. Take two 300-milligram capsules of freeze-dried nettle three times a day. "The freeze-dried form is more concentrated and tends to work much better," says Dr. Stengler. Taking nettle in the midst of hay fever season will still work to quiet symptoms, but it will take 3 to 4 days to kick in, QUERCETIN: A Nutrient Powerhouse "The bioflavonoid quercetin can be a potent inhibitor of histamine release," says Skye Weintraub, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Eugene, Oregon.

Smart Medicine for Healthier Living : Practical A-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Adults Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND See book keywords and concepts

If your allergies are seasonal, it may also be helpful to avoid whole wheat during the allergy season; many allergy sufferers are sensitive to wheat. ¦ Cut out cooked fats and oils. When your body is under any type of stress, including the stress of an allergic reaction, the digestive system is not as strong as usual, and fats—which are difficult to digest at the best of times—can put a strain on the digestive system. Also, undigested fats contribute to mucus production and foster a toxic internal environment. ¦ Monitor the ratio of different types of foods you eat to one another.

Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies Phyllis A. Balch, CNC See book keywords and concepts

Now, however, one in six Americans sneezes, wheezes, and tears through the allergy season. The exact cause of respiratory allergies is unknown. Heredity seems to be a factor, however, and it is known that people who were breast-fed as babies are less likely than those who were bottle-fed to develop allergies. People seem to be most allergy-prone between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, but new allergies can strike at any age. An allergic reaction begins with the release of a burst of a chemical called histamine.

Rather, you should start taking them one to two weeks before the beginning of the allergy season, and discontinue them one to two weeks after the expected end of the season. Unless otherwise specified, the herb dosages recommended here are for adults. Children under age six should be given one-quarter of the adult dosage. Children between the ages of six and twelve should be given one-half of the adult dosage. Formula dosages for children should be discussed with a knowledgeable health-care practitioner.

The Miracle of MSM: The Natural Solution for Pain Stanley W. Jacob, M.D., Ronald M. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

For Oregon businesswoman Gail Lind, allergy season is so traumatic that she moves to Hawaii for three months of the year to escape the pine and grass pollen. "I don't just get the runny nose and eyes. I become extraordinarily nervous and fatigued," says Lind, 56, from Richland, Oregon. "The pollen literally puts me to sleep. It knocks me out." Lind began taking MSM early in 1998 because she heard it helped allergies. "It worked big time for me," she says. "This is the first time in twenty years I haven't had to remove myself from the pollen environment. I have had absolutely no symptoms.

Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies Phyllis A. Balch, CNC See book keywords and concepts

Take 125-250 mg 3 times daily, between meals, for 6-8 weeks before the allergy season begins. Can help to prevent seasonal allergic reactions if started soon enough. Rooibos Tea bag, prepared with Acts as an antihistamine. 1 cup water. Take 1 cup Especially helpful if you 1-3 times daily. also have food allergies. St. John's wort3 Capsules. Take as directed on the label. Relieves headaches occurring with hay fever. Scutellaria4 Capsules. Take 1,000-2,000 mg 3 times daily. An antihistamine that also reduces the risk of catching colds and flu. Stinging nettle root Capsules or tablets.

Many allergy sufferers find that OPCs eliminate all noticeable symptoms of allergy, even in the middle of the allergy season. OPCs do not inhibit the production of antibodies to allergens, and so do not interfere with desensitization treatments (allergy shots). • Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. OPCs help to prevent blood-vessel changes in the brain that can complicate Parkinson's disease.

Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems Bill Gottlieb See book keywords and concepts

He recommends that you take quercetin for up to 6 months, especially during allergy season. The Physician Who Healed Himself The doctor almost died of asthma. Richard Firshein, D.O., had just left the emergency room, where he had gone after his medicated spray failed to stop an asthma attack. The doctors had stabilized his condition and released him. He was standing on a corner outside the hospital when a bus stopped in front of him and spewed exhaust in his face. He took a breath—and stopped breathing.

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