How do you deal with allergies?

[Wahine]

Acupuncture can help some people.

[sarahlou]

I have had allergies on and off for many years. When they are bad, my eyes nearly swell shut and I can't think about anything except how miserable I am. I have never taken medication for the allergies except for the odd benedryl. I tried local honey (the idea being that the bees are pollinating the plants you're allergic to and that their honey will act like a homeopathic vaccination) it helped to some degree but takes awhile - as in days to a week or more for your body to adjust. The thing that helps me the most- in fact I pretty much swear by it- is going dairy free for several weeks at the peak of allergy season. This can be hard (I love toast with butter and a slab of cheese) but really is the only way for me to fight off the allergies. I think it works because dairy causes excess mucus and this mucus traps more pollen which makes the allergies start up- so by getting totally rid of dairy in the diet, the pollen trapping mucus factor is down. I have no medical credentials to back my idea up, but it truely does work for me and it may work for you too. The key is to be totally (not even a dash of milk in your coffee) dairy free. The good news is that you don't have to do it forever, just when the allergies are acute.
I hope this helps.

[Tuckervill]

Has anyone tried a neti pot?

I don't have a whole lot of allergies, but my house is old and the windows leak and there is a lot of dust. I'm thinking of trying the neti pot as a regular part of my hygiene.

http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/product/neti.html

If you've tried one, I'd love to hear your impression of it.

Karen

[mountainchick]

The neti pot just looks like a simple nasal wash (never heard of it before). I've heard that saline solution can help for clearing sinuses. I don't know if you need a special pot for it though, just take the warm water like they describe with some salt and rinse out your nasal passages (just make sure the water comes back out )

[SadieKate]

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...highlight=neti

Dianyla told us about them awhile back. I didn't try it but she gave me tips on using Alkalol properly. Love that stuff.

[snapdragen]

I use a neti pot - it does seem to help keep the pounding sinus headaches at bay. I haven't had a sinus infection for two years now - I used to get them pretty regularly.