Fast, Effective, Drug- Free Allergy Relief.

Your immune system has decided that an everyday substance-maybe the pollen from a tree, the dander from a cat, or the dust on a bookshelf-is your enemy, an allergen.

When you inhale that substance into your body, an antibody is created. This specialized protein first detects the enemy, then signals the immune system to disarm and destroy the scoundrel.
In order to neutralize the allergen, your cells must release histamine and other chemicals, causing some combination of the classic symptoms-the runny nose, the red and itchy eyes, the sneezing, the sinus headache, the scratchy throat-that you call an allergy. But if you reach for an over-the-counter antihistamine for relief, you may wind up doing more harm than good, say alternative doctors.

"Sensitivity to allergens may be concealed by taking antihistamine medications," says Jacqueline Krohn, M.D., a physician in New Mexico. This is because antihistamines treat the symptoms, not the cause. Then there are the common side effects, such as drowsiness or, with the newer "nondrowsy" products, the possibility of heart arrhythmias, Dr. Krohn says.

If you're worried that alternative home remedies won't work as well as medications, you shouldn't be. "I believe that natural remedies are strong enough that you won't have to take drugs-you'll get all the relief you need," says Mark Stengler, N.D., a naturopathic physician in San Diego.

HYDROTHERAPY:
A Cleansing Bath for Your Immune System Visualize your immune system as a rain barrel, Dr. Krohn says. Many factors, such as infections, environmental toxins, and stress, can fill your barrel. When the barrel is full, one more drop-an allergen-can overflow your immune system so that it can't deal with the invader. You experience allergic symptoms.

Some alternative practitioners believe that one of the best ways to lower the water level in your rain barrel so that your body can deal with allergens is with detoxification baths, says Dr. Krohn. She believes that the heat from the bath releases stored toxins from fat cells into the blood. They then travel to the skin and are released. "I frequently prescribe these baths for my allergic patients," she says.
"They can be very effective for decreasing and even preventing allergic symptoms, especially for people who are overloaded from chemicals." Here's how to take a detoxification bath, according to Dr. Krohn. First, take a bath or shower to remove excess oil and dirt from your skin. Scrub with a rough washcloth or loofah, then rinse thoroughly. Next, fill the tub with water as hot as you can tolerate without pain and deep enough to immerse your body up to your neck. (You might want to buy an overflow drain cover at a hardware store so you can fill the tub to the top.) Sit in the tub, letting the water cover your entire body, including your hands and arms (you won't submerge your head, of course). Stay in the bath for 5 minutes, then take a brief but thorough warm shower to wash the toxins off your skin so they won't be reabsorbed.

(Take no more than three detoxification baths a week, gradually increasing the duration to 30 minutes. It's possible that during the bath, you'll feel slightly weak as the toxins enter your bloodstream, says Dr. Krohn. If you do, drain the water and sit in the tub until you no longer feel weak.
Don't increase the length of the baths until you can bathe comfortably without feeling weak; that is, if weakness begins after 5 minutes, take 5-minute baths. As you take detoxification baths regularly and your body purifies, you'll be able to take longer and longer ones. When you can take a bath for 30 minutes without experiencing any weakness, cut back to one a week, says Dr. Krohn. People with multiple sclerosis or severe heart disease should not use this remedy.

NETTLE: The Top Herbal Antihistamine
"Seventy percent of my allergy patients who take the herb stinging nettle don't need to take any other supplement or medication for symptomatic relief," Dr. Stengler says.
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.)


HYPOGLYCEMIA. The Secret Cause of Allergies.
Treating the symptoms of allergies may provide temporary relief. But Skye Weintraub, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Eugene, Oregon, believes that it may be possible to actually cure the problem by changing your diet. "Allergens are the triggers of allergic response, but they are not the ultimate cause of the problem:' she says. She believes that an unhealthy diet can leave your body so weak that it can't cope with common substances such as pollen and cat dander.
"Every time one of my patients has truly and consistently switched to a healing diet, hay fever or other respiratory allergies have either significantly diminished or vanished:' Dr. Weintraub says.
She has found that many patients with allergies also have hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. "Often, upon treating and effectively controlling the person's hypoglycemia, the original allergy also clears up:' she says.

And hypoglycemia isn't hard to fix. "If all conditions were as easy to treat as hypoglycemia, the world would be an Eden of wellness:' Dr. Weintraub says. Here's how to step into your own allergy-free paradise, according to Dr. Weintraub.

First, cut out refined sugar. Eating lots of sugar, in cakes, candy, cookies, soda, and other sweet foods, floods the bloodstream with glucose, or blood sugar. The body then pumps out the hormone insulin to usher the glucose into the brain and muscles. Refined sugar, which is a simple carbohydrate, triggers such a flood of insulin that blood sugar levels plummet 30 minutes or so after consuming the sweets. There's only one way off this roller coaster of sugary ups and downs-"all intake of refined sugar must stop;' says Dr. Weintraub. That includes fruit juices and dried fruits, both of which deliver high levels of concentrated sugar.

Worried that your craving for sweets will overwhelm you? Hang in there. "Going sugar-free for I to 2 weeks is usually enough to knock out sugar cravings;' says Dr. Weintraub. Second, reach for complex carbohydrates. These foods, which include vegetables, whole grains, and beans, are digested slowly by the body, keeping blood sugar levels on an even keel. "In order to avoid hypoglycemia, the majority of food in your diet should be in the form of complex carbohydrates;' Dr. Weintraub says. Because fruits are too high in quickly digested sugars, she recommends eliminating all fruit at the beginning of this program. Most people can usually add some whole fruit to their diets later, she says.

Third, remember protein, which also provides a slow and steady supply of fuel. "To clear up hypoglycemia, the diet must also consist of adequate protein;' says Dr. Weintraub. Aim to make protein foods like fish, Iamb, turkey, chicken, brewer's yeast, tofu, nuts, and seeds about 20 to 30 percent of your diet, she advises. Finally, eat early and often. Eating two or three big meals a day can cause the same up-and-down variations in blood sugar levels as eating refined sugars, says Dr. Weintraub. The best approach is "five or six smaller feedings, with plenty of fresh foods;' she says. She recommends a small breakfast, a good midmorning snack, a light lunch, a mid afternoon snack, dinner, and a small snack before bed.

"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, he says.

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.

Taking 250 milligrams twice a day is usually sufficient to control most allergies, she says. Just don't expect to be better tomorrow. "It can take 3 to 4 weeks before quercetin becomes effective."

BROMELAIN: Quercetin's Best Friend

This anti-inflammatory enzyme from pineapple helps with the absorption, and therefore the effectiveness, of quercetin, says Dr. Weintraub. Take 250 milligrams of bromelain twice a day along with quercetin.

MASSAGE: For Hands-On Relief
A facial massage from qigong, a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, can help relieve the symptoms of inhalant allergies, says Glenn S. Rothfeld, M.D., regional medical director of American WholeHealth in Arlington, Massachusetts. Here's how to do it.

Using the pads of your thumbs, rub in small circles, starting between your eyebrows and moving down along the sides of your nose and over your cheekbones below your eyes. Next, begin between your eyebrows once again, using the flats of your thumbs to rub along your eyebrows toward your temples, then massage your temples. "In this massage, you want to cover the temples, above the eyes, below the eyes, and alongside the nose," says Dr. Rothfeld. This helps improve circulation into the tissues and relieves the inflammation that results from allergies. Do this massage for 5 minutes two or three times a day, whenever you're suffering from allergic symptoms.

ADRENAL GLANDULARS: To Strengthen Your Defense System
The adrenal glands are known for producing adrenaline, the hormone that's pumped out when your body is under stress. But since they also produce hormones that keep your immune system revved up, weak adrenal glands can make you more vulnerable to allergies. Dr. Weintraub has noticed that when the adrenal glands are working well, the allergies get better.

One way to strengthen your adrenal glands and help prevent allergic symptoms is to take an adrenal glandular, a product made from an extract of animal adrenal glands.
"Adrenal glandulars build immunity and help defend the body against allergies," Dr. Weintraub says. She recommends taking one 180to 200-milligram tablet two or three times a day.

PANTOTHENIC ACID: Another Adrenal Aid
Pantothenic acid, a B vitamin, also helps boost adrenal function, says Dr. Rothfeld. He recommends 200 to 500 milligrams a day.