Dealing with allergies
This Week In The HSI Forum
Call it what you will: hay fever season, pollen season, allergy season – it all adds up to the same thing: misery season for those with allergies.
And just in time for the season: “Allergies” is the title of a thread on the HSI Forum this week. A member named Simon wants to know: “Does anyone have any remedies?”
No problem, Simon. A member named Karen starts it off with this suggestion: “You can try stinging nettleused for allergies such as pollen & you can also try mangosteen juice which is an anti inflammatory and prevents allergic reactions.”
Another suggestion for pollen allergies comes from Polly who suggests eating raw honey – but “not the stuff you buy at the grocery store.” She adds, “On the Really Raw Honey web site they suggest 1 teaspoon a day. It is like a vaccination. You build up anti-bodies to the pollen by taking it. The bees fix it for ya!”
Giving the immune system a boost can also help, according to a member named Bing, who writes: “I am on to something good for my allergies. I have taken everything to name a few: Quercetin, Vitamin C, oregano oil drops, Rehisi mushroom, you name it I’ve tried it. But, about three months ago I called an old friend and after talking with him I discovered he was taking a product called Immunocal. I tried it for various reasons, but the main reason was to boost my immune system. After 2 weeks I felt great, I now have no post nasal drip, no allergy symptoms and I can’t explain it other than my immune system is able to fight allergens now.”
In an HSI Members Alert we sent you some time ago (“How Whey Can Keep Your Immune System From Failing” 10/1/97), we first told you about Immunocal, which is an effective immune system booster (easily found through various Internet sources).
Bing also mentioned quercetin, which has also been used by Cleo, who says: One thing that helps is Quercetin. My ND recommended I take itIt helps keep the histamine level down in your body.” When another member asks if quercetin is an anti-inflammatory, Cleo confirms that it is (in addition to being a powerful antioxidant) and adds, “Quercetin can be found in onions, apples, green tea, and black tea. Smaller amounts are found in leafy green vegetables and beans.”
The “Allergies” thread contains several other suggestions for fighting the springtime sniffles. In addition, you can find out about recent research on two key nutrients that have been shown to help manage hay fever symptoms in this week’s e-Alert “Rain on My Parade” (see below).
Other topics on the HSI Forum this week include:
- Best form of Vit A and Zinc?
- Cataracts
- PSA test not reliable
- Weight lifting for women
- Golden flax
- Angioplasty
To join in with any of these discussions, just go to our web site at www.hsionline.com, find your way to the Forum, and add your own insights and comments about health, nutrition and natural treatments.
