It’s that wonderful time of year again when we start to feel a little chill in the air with the promise of all the festivities that fall brings. We smell the occasional whiff of someone sitting outside with friends around their fire pit and finally have comfortable temperatures to do just about anything outside. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when as the leaves fall and the ragweed propagates fall allergies descend upon us gracing us with runny noses, leaky eyes, coughs, and sneezes. As if you didn’t feel bad enough with the allergies you now have to worry about the judgement and side glances as people assess whether or not you are a that covid threat.
There are a few things to consider in helping to minimize the effects of fall allergies and I ask you to consider the following suggestions to help ameliorate your symptoms or prevent them before they get started.
- When working outside wear a mask. This is especially true when doing tasks such as raking leaves where you are likely to disturb all the mold and allergens laying on the leaves or ground. The good news/bad news is you are likely to have a mask handy and at the ready.
- Rinse your hair before going to bed. During the day your hair is exposed to the environmental allergens and lay on the surface and throughout your hair. Rinsing your hair helps you to avoid inhaling the allergens that fall out onto your pillow at night while you sleep.
- Keep your car and windows closed when driving. Even though the weather begs you to open the windows and/or put the top-down riding along especially at higher rates of speed is like force feeding the allergens up your nose.
- Rinse your animals periodically if they are exposed to the outside for any length of time. This will prevent them from tracking allergens through the house and minimize the amount that is released as you pet them.
Treating your Allergies
If you have the misfortune of developing an allergic response, consider using a Neti pot with a salt solution to flush your nasal passages. This has proved to be highly effective in reducing the inflammation of the nasal passages.
Acupuncture has also been helpful in treating and reducing your Symptoms. Orally consider Quercetin which is a natural antihistamine that can be taken in tablet form.
For those with severe reactivity immunotherapy shots or allopathic medication may be needed.
Hopefully some of these suggestions will be able to mitigate most of your symptoms leaving you to enjoy the beauty and fun of fall.
With Gratitude,
Pat