Welcome to Plantation, where the city slogan is, "Where the grass is greener!" Trees grow tall and thick, grass is lush, and allergies? Well, they're running rampant season after season. Spring has sprung in Plantation, and residents are already feeling their springtime allergies spring into effect.
Seasonal allergy relief can seem hard to come by, especially for those looking for a drug-free allergy treatment. Luckily, allergy sufferers in Plantation can find substantial relief with these all-natural tips and tricks.
What Are Common Allergy Triggers?
Allergies are a hypersensitive immune response to substances, situations, or physical states. While many people share similar allergy symptoms around this time of year, each allergy victim is unique when it comes to how their body will react to specific triggers.
An allergy trigger is a specific chemical or compound that creates this reaction. For some people, allergy triggers must be consumed, like those who are allergic to foods like peanuts or shellfish. For others, coming into physical contact or breathing in the trigger can prompt symptoms, like those allergic to pollen.
When the body is exposed to a trigger, it produces a chemical called histamine. This causes the immune system to produce antibodies, which create widespread symptoms in order to counteract the allergen. This is why common allergy symptoms are watery eyes and a runny nose - your body is attempting to flush the allergen from your system. For seasonal allergies, also called hay fever or rhinitis, a common trigger is the increase or fluctuation of pollen levels, as well as dust and mold.
Spring Pollen and What to Do About It
For most Plantation residents suffering seasonal allergies, pollen is the likely culprit. One of the easiest ways you can circumvent fluctuating pollen levels is to check the day's pollen count before heading out the door. This is actually pretty easy to do.
To the relief (or dismay) of all seasonal allergy victims, pollen has its very own website. While your local weather station can typically keep you up-to-date about the pollen count in your specific town or city, Pollen.com allows you to enter your city or zip code to receive the latest allergy forecast. This data is collected by local meteorologists who analyze the rate and amount of pollen collection over a 24-hour period.
Protecting Against Pollen in the Home
Anyone with seasonal allergies wants their home to be a safe haven. There are a few steps you can take to safeguard your home from the invasion of seasonal pollen. For one, try to stay indoors as much as possible on hot, dry, windy days. Of course, South Florida in the spring and summer is always hot, but days that lack Plantation's infamous humidity are specifically high in pollen. If you can, stay inside between 5 and 10 a.m., when outdoor pollen counts are highest. Don't air-dry your clothes outside, as they can collect pollen and dust when hanging.
Choose A.C. Cooling
On days with a high pollen count, keep your windows and doors closed, even those with screens. Opt for A.C. cooling, and try to avoid using an overhead fan--it can stir up dust. Install a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter on your air conditioning system, as well as a flat or panel filter on your furnace to filter out potential allergens.
Be Careful with Cleaning Products
Keeping your home clean is the best preventative measure you can take to avoid indoor allergens, but harsh chemical cleaners have a tendency of irritating nasal passages and aggravating allergy symptoms. Opt for natural cleaners instead, or make your own using everyday ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon. Place a mask or rag over your mouth and nose when dusting or vacuuming the house. Use a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter to further trap allergens.
Be Conscious of Your Clothes
Lastly, be conscious when you come home that your clothes, shoes, hair, and skin are all likely covered with microscopic pollen and dust particles from the outdoors. This doesn't mean to immediately strip and run into the shower. Instead, simple steps like leaving your shoes at the door, changing into fresh clothes, combing your hair, and washing your hands and face can help eliminate allergens in the home.
Drug-Free Allergy Treatment Solutions
In a perfect world, we would be able to block out allergens for good. But in Plantation, "where everything is greener," it's near impossible to avoid pollen during the spring and summer months. But, that doesn't mean there aren't steps for you to take in order to effectively treat and diminish allergy symptoms. And the good news is, you don't have to be taking over-the-counter drugs and medicated sprays to do it.
Try these tips for drug-free seasonal allergy relief.
1. Local Honey: Created by local bees, local honey contains trace amount of the area's pollen. While you can't simply tell your body that pollen and grass isn't dangerous, consuming a small dose of it can help your body learn that the local habitat isn't deadly. Consuming one to two tablespoons of local honey a day can help naturally reduce your allergy symptoms over time.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar: A common kitchen condiment, apple cider vinegar has surprising benefits, including reducing mucus production and cleansing the lymphatic system. This can help ease a stuffy nose, as well as help flush out mucus building up in the sinuses or throat. You can swallow a tablespoon straight, but for easier consumption try adding a tablespoon to a cup of hot water and lemon.
3. Neti Pots, Nasal Sprays, & Saline: Dirt and pollen frequently get trapped within the nasal passageways, meaning that even after you've come inside, the remaining allergens can cause your body to continue to attempt to flush them from your body. With a neti pot, you can use saline solution to clean mucus and remaining particles from the nasal passages and ease symptoms. Nasal sprays are an alternative to traditional neti pots that can also whisk away irritants and mucus that could lead to a postnasal drip.
4. Acupuncture: The medical art of acupuncture involves the strategic placement of small needles into designated acupoints across the body. Acupuncture for allergies can help improve the body's natural communication between the immune, lymphatic, and nervous systems, resulting in a decrease in symptoms.
5. Herbal Treatments: Many herbs are potent anti-inflammatory and immune system enhancers, which can also act as natural antihistamines. Try adding these herbs to tea, in your cooking, or in encapsulated supplements:
- Raw garlic
- Butterbur
- Rosemary
- Nettle leaf
- Turmeric
6. Chiropractic Adjustments: When the bones in your spine are out of alignment, they irritate the surrounding spinal nerves that are a critical component of your nervous system. In turn, this places stress on the adrenal glands, which produce natural anti-inflammatory hormones that limit allergic responses. These compressed nerves also negatively impact both the immune and respiratory systems, worsening allergy symptoms.
Chiropractic allergy treatment utilizes chiropractic adjustments to naturally and effectively realign the bones of the spine, taking pressure off spinal nerves. Chiropractic adjustments also improve communication between the body's systems, helping to mitigate allergy symptoms faster.
Beating Allergies in Plantation
As the temperatures continue to rise this spring and summer--so will pollen levels. Get ahead of your allergies today by talking to a chiropractor in Plantation. At ChiroCare of Florida, our cutting-edge facilities offer a variety of treatments, from chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture, to nutritional advice. A healthy body is the best defense against allergies this season.
For more information on how chiropractic helps allergies, don't hesitate to visit your local ChiroCare of Florida today.
