Natural/homeopathic treatments for seasonal allergies?

[JustMe]

I never had allergies until I live where I live now. They started 2 years ago, and were not that bad but then last year was awful. I thought I might have escaped this year, but yesterday and today have been awful again. I just popped the no-frills Claritin. This worked pretty well for me last year, but I'd rather take something natural/homeopathic and I also dont like that I have to take the Claritin in advance for it to work, as opposed to seeing if I feel its necessary.

TIA.
Robyn

[haraldsworth]

I would try a neti pot. They have shown it twice on Oprah recently and people have had great results. I have a bottle that is similar to a neti pot and it does help with my allergies.

[urquie]

ditto the neti pot rec. i had heard about how great they were for years, but was afraid to pour water in my nose... until how easy it was on the oprah show. we do it daily now and it has made a huge difference for all our nasal/sinus allergies.


following is some infofrom the oprah website...

**Before you try pouring water into your nostril, Dr. Oz offers some neti pot pointers. First, mix warm water with a quarter teaspoon of salt.

"You never want to wash [human] tissue without having saltwater in them," he says. "Your own cells like it more."

Dr. Oz says washing out your sinuses with regular water can be irritating. Cold water may make you feel like you're drowning in a pool.

Amy, an audience member who suffers from sinusitis, demonstrates the proper way to use a neti pot. "I thought it would feel like drowning, but it feels good," she says.

It may look strange, but Dr. Oz says this treatment may be more effective than medication. "The [ear, nose and throat] doctors who are specialists in this area will often say this is a better treatment than a lot of the other drugs that we try to offer folks, because it mechanically cleans out the problem," he says.

Neti pots are available at health food stores and most drug stores.**


**During a previous Ask Dr. Oz show, an audience member named Amy, who suffers from sinusitis, bravely demonstrated the use of a nose bidet, or neti pot. Dr. Oz says the device can help clear mucus from your sinuses using warm saltwater. "It's actually filling up those little nooks and crannies that you have and allowing your body to evacuate that stuff so you can actually begin to function normally," he says.

Since then, Amy says she and her husband have used the neti pot every day! "It is fantastic. I have not had one sinus headache. I haven't spent any money on any cold products," she says.

Rachel, a member of the Harpo staff, benefited from the neti pot, too! "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's been life-changing for me," she says. Rachel is a lifelong allergy sufferer, but since she began using the neti pot, her symptoms have eased up. "I can breathe at night. I'm not blowing my nose, you know, 30 times a day, which is my normal state of being for the last couple years," she says. "So thank you, Dr. Oz, because it was really a huge change for me and I'm very happy."**

[JustMe]

Thanks. I will go looking for a neti pot. Sounds like a great idea.

Robyn

[urquie]

this link has some good info...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation