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You wake up and immediately you’re sniffling and sneezing. You keep rubbing your itchy and watery eyes. Got allergies? Yup it’s officially that season here in the NYC and who has time for dealing with all that yuckiness when all you want to do is finally spend some much-needed time outside after a long cold winter. I have some great tips and tricks to help you through this dreaded time. So, let’s just jump right into it…

Allergy Tip #1: Take daily LOCAL RAW honey, bee pollen and propolis

Local and raw are the key words here. Find the most local honey you can and take a big spoonful each day (ideally beginning 4-6 weeks prior to allergy season). The honey acts like a natural vaccine and the small daily doses help build your tolerance to your local pollen. In addition, you can try and find local bee pollen. Be warned, bee pollen is an acquired taste but it’s great to put into smoothies or in your yogurt bowl and works the same way as the honey. DISCLAIMER – don’t buy that cute little bear filled with “honey” at your big box grocer. That is not real honey…it’s more of a sugar like product.

Allergy Tip #2: Stinging Nettles

Nettle is an herb that is found out in the wild. It is known as the king of minerals and has so many amazing benefits. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory. Nettle helps support your liver and detoxification processes and is a mild diuretic (so you will have to pee a tiny bit more than normal). It also reduces the amount of histamine in the body in response to an allergen and therefore is a great herb for helping for season allergies. You can drink nettles in tea form. Many companies sell nettle tea bags in grocers or you can buy bulk dried nettles and brew your own tea at home. If you want to take it up a notch, try making an overnight infusion with your dried nettles. It’s basically like tea on crack! To do this, take a large mason jar and fill it about a third of the way with the loose dried nettle leaves. Boil some filtered water and then top the leaves with water. Close the jar and leave it on your counter for 6+ hours or ideally overnight. The longer it brews the stronger it will be. When you’re ready to consume, just strain and enjoy! I personally prefer the taste best cold, but you can always warm it up if that’s your preference.

Allergy Tip #3: Pineapple

Pineapple is rich in bromelain which helps reduce swelling in the nasal passages and thins mucus making it easier to breathe. If you think you’re getting a sinus infection, which can happen with seasonal allergies, try combining bromelain with something like echinacea or goldenseal to fight off the infection.

Allergy Tip #4: Avoid Dairy

Ok so far, I’ve tried to give tips that center around adding things to your life in order to help with allergies but this one is about eliminating. Dairy causes mucus to build in your body so it’s no bueno when you’re fighting allergies. Try avoiding it for 30 days to see if it impacts your seasonal allergies symptoms.

Allergy Tip #5: Cleaning

Last but not least is the idea of keeping your environment as clean as possible from all those outside allergen. There are many ways to do this. First, use a neti pot to clean out your nasal passages. It also helps with mucus and is a great way to flush your nasal cavity of all that pollen, pollution and postnasal drip! Second, wash your hair more often during allergy season. Pollen can get stick to your strands so consider keeping them extra clean. Third, change your pillowcases regularly. If pollen is sticking to your hair and then you lay your pretty face and head on your pillow…well, you get the point. Have a few extra sets of pillowcases and change them out daily. And lastly, keep your home as clean as possible. That means taking your shoes off at the door. Having indoor clothes and outdoor clothes. And consider getting a high-quality air filter for your pad!

Allergy BONUS Tips: Products that work!

Ok so everyone wants to know what those quick fixes for allergies are. Sadly, I can’t say there is a magic pill that you can take every morning to eliminate your allergy symptoms but there are some good products out there that can help. First, Organic Olivia makes a wonderful “Allergy Defense Tonic” tincture. It’s formulated with herbs that contain antihistamine, decongestant, and bronchodilating properties. It can be used as a preventative if started a few weeks before allergy season, but you can also use it for acute active allergy symptoms. It’s a great natural way to combat allergies. Second, studies show that lower levels of Vitamin D make your allergy symptoms worse. We all should be getting 15-30 minutes of full sun exposure (aka without SPF) a day and hardly anyone does that in today’s world. You should get your levels checked via bloodwork by your doctor before taking any supplements as you don’t want to take things you don’t need. However, given our mostly indoor lifestyles, doctors will tell you that most of us are typically deficient in Vitamin D. Therefore, taking a high-quality Vitamin D supplement can help. I prefer to take a D3/K2 liquid supplement as its bioavailability is higher.

Allergies got you down? My Top 5 Tips to help you get thru this season!