|
20 April 2009
Posted in
Spring Health, Naturally
If you are an allergy sufferer, the good news is that you don’t have to be. There are safe, simple, natural ways to make you comfortable without the side effects of medications like drowsiness and high blood pressure.
Balancing the Immune System
In Naturopathic Medicine, treating allergies means balancing the immune system so that it doesn’t over-react. Since the majority of our immune system is in our digestive tract, diet makes a big difference for allergy sufferers.
What to Do First
Firstly, cut back on products that contain refined sugars such as bagels, cookies, candies, pop and alcohol. Focus on eating fruits and vegetables, especially apples and onions, which contain a compound called “quercitin” and is very helpful for allergies. It is also available as a supplement. Fruits that are high in vitamin C and bioflavanoids make are excellent anti-histamines. In fact, when your body is deficient in vitamin C it makes it more susceptible to allergies. As a supplement vitamin C with bioflavanoids can be helpful at 1,000mg three times a day with food.
Other Things to Try
Try eating 1 tsp of turmeric daily, sprinkled on salads or in a stir-fry. It has phenomenal anti-inflammatory properties.
Increase your intake of good fats – almonds, pecans, avocadoes, wild salmon, sardines, flax oil, salba, hemp seeds, and olive oil. Supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids has been researched extensively for allergies. At the same time you must try to eliminate the bad fats, found in milk and cheese, hydrogenated oils (check your crackers!), canola oil and fried foods.
Nettle tea is a pleasant tasting tea, which at 2 cups/day can help mild allergy sufferers. It is sold in many health food stores.
Do What Works for You
Because of potential drug interactions, it is always best to check with a licensed Naturopathic Doctor before embarking on a regime of herbs, vitamins or supplements. Visit www.nsand.ca to find a licensed ND in your area.
Balance Naturopathic Health Center (BNHC).
Balance Naturopathic Health Center (BNHC) offers a multitude of services which can be found on their website (www.balancehealthcentre.ca). They offer seminars as well. Mark your calendar for their upcoming Pregnancy, Labour & Infancy seminar (May 23rd), listed in Mother’s Day Events from our Spring Celebration section, for a comfortable opportunity to get to know Balance. More details found to follow:
Pregnancy, Labour, & Infancy Seminar
By Dr. Sherisse O'Leary, ND
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:15pm (45 minutes)
Dr. O'Leary discusses how to prepare for pregnancy, labor, and infancy from a naturopathic approach.
Healthy living is strongly linked to education. At Balance, we offer a rich source of education, information, and intellectual stimulation through seminars, classes, workshops, newsletters, and private sessions.
In efforts to improve the access to health care education, we offer recurring seminars on several topics monthly. These seminars serve as a way to gather information in another service area, introduce your family or friends Balance, or welcome newcombers to Balance, and those who may not be able to invest in a private consultation with a practitioner. All that we ask is that you pre-register so we know that you're coming! Email or call us today. (www.balancehealthcentre.ca).
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|