★☆☆☆☆
This didn't work for me. All of last year I took ACV every night in hopes that I would beat my hay fever in the summer. Unfortunately, when summer came this year, my hay fever was just as bad as ever.
★★★★★
I suffered from hayfever type allergies seemingly constantly since we moved to our new house in Jan of '07. During that summer, my symptoms were so severe I couldn't be outside for 5 minutes without having a severe hayfever attack. I took OTC meds daily but they were getting harder to buy as they all got moved behind the pharmacy counter, plus they took hours to start working.
I sought out earth clinic and wrote down my top 5 cures for allergies, thinking I would start trying them in the spring of '08. But in the Winter of '07 I rescued a rabbit that needed to eat hay twice a day. Of course I was allergic! I decided to try Turmeric as it was the cheapest remedy. I started taking 2 capsules a day (720 mg caps) in February '08. Within 5 days I noticed a great improvement. After a few months with this regime, I started noticing my allergies getting less severe and less frequent. After 4 months, my husband told me, "You don't have allergies anymore!"
Now, 7 full months later (and past pollen season), I am down to 1 capsule per day as maintenance, and take an extra one if I have congestion. I am so thankful for this simple cure! The world is open to me again: I can go outside without bringing a snot rag. I can brush my cats daily with no symptoms. I can clean the cat litter without having a reaction to the dust. I can feed my rabbit and not suffer. I was able to bring my feather bed back out of storage and use it with confidence cause I'm not allergic to it anymore! I do still have problems with mold when it rains, but just clogged sinuses not the severe reaction I used to get. An extra turmeric capsule and I'm fine. Gotta love it!
Dietary Suggestions
★★★★★
Neti Pot
★★★★★
I read about neti online and picked up a neti pot and a box of non-iodized table salt at my health food store. The first few times it was a bit awkward and once or twice one of my sinus was so plugged the water could not pass through. But I kept at it because I noticed I could breath better through my nose about 10-15 minutes after the rinse. I could actually breath in through my nose and feel the air at the back of my throat as it passed into my lungs! I didn't even know you could feel that!
Since then I have been using 1/4 tsp. salt in one full neti pot of luke warm water for each nostril (so two full pots in all) twice per day. The results have astonized me! I started out doing it once per day after brushing my teeth in the morning, but found myself WANTING to do it before bed so I could breath better during the night. Some of the results I've noticed: quieter breathing (no wheezing), almost NO need to blow my nose during the day (from the girl who used to go through a box of tissues every three days!), breathing through my nose while sleeping (NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE!), husband says less snoring, better breath and focus during yoga practice, and (the best of all) I am taking a half dose of my regular allergy medicine with the BEST RESULTS of my life! Halving my medication saves me about $700 per year!
I knew this neti thing really worked when: - I had a terrible headache for about 4 hours. As soon as I got home I washed my face and used the neti before laying down for a nap. INSTANTLY my headache was gone. I didn't even take the nap I was so amazed! - Woke up one morning with runny eyes, completely stuffed nose, and phlem in my throat. I actually choked as I brushed my teeth because there was so much mucus in the back of my throat. I then used the neti as part of my usual routine. The water would barely pass through my left nostril and kept going down my throat even though the tilt was right so I just kept spitting out the water as I rinsed. HUGE chunks of phlem came out of my mouth. Then the water finally started to run out my nostil and more phlem. About 10 minutes later I could breath totally normally through my nose. My eyes even seemed to feel better. - There are wildfires burning in Oregon right now, which would normally make me MISERABLE with allergies. In the past, I've taken my double allergy dose along with OTC medicines just to make it through the day when forest fires get bad. Despite the fact that I can SEE smoke smog in the air above Portland, I haven't had any other allergy symptoms. AMAZING!
I love my neti so much, I feel dirty if I don't use it after brushing my teeth! I takes less than 3 minutes each day now that I'm good at it and I see less and less mucus as time goes on. It might seem odd at first but TRY IT. My $14 neti pot was the best money I ever spent!
Garlic
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★☆☆☆☆
Apple Cider Vinegar
Ginger and Chamomile Tea
EC: Thanks for clarifying, Kin!
01/16/2008: Shira from Green Cove Springs, FL writes: "I want to shout this from the roof tops!
My husband has had terrible sinus congestion for months! Because it felt as though he had some sort of barrier in his left nostril, even his CPAP machine wasn't allowing him to breathe. Sleepless night... tons of money on meds... countless nosebleeds because of all of the nasal sprays... he was miserable and feeling a little desperate.
Then, as the last resort, I searched and came across your ginger root remedy. $2.00 for a huge ginger root that I peeled, cut into chunks and steeped for 4 hours in a pot of water with 2 green tea bags. Dan sipped on the surprisingly yummy tea all evening, and for the first time in MONTHS, he's completely clear! There wasn't a dramatic loss of mucus, but for whatever reason, I believe it shrunk the swollen nasal passages, and for the last 3 nights in a row, he's slept ALL night, clear as a bell! He didn't even snore! I can't even begin to tell you what a HUGE blessing this remendy is for us."
I work with a Japanese woman who told me that ginger root also helps digestive issues and menstral cramps. We've decided to make ginger root tea part of our daily routine. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!"
Turmeric
★★★★★
