Jeff Bushman has studied natural health for over 30 years (though he looks far too young for that!), and has advised family and friends for years. He's now established a practice as a lay herbalist. If you're in or plan to be in the metro Phoenix area, you can call for an appointment at 480-628-9786. Otherwise, you're welcome to e-mail him or call, and counseling can be arranged. Simple questions will be responded to as time allows, without charge, and for fee-based clients, a sliding scale is available. No medical advice is provided here, and none will be provided. What is given in this blog is information regarding what other people have used as folk and/or natural remedies. Readers should always check with their own health provider before choosing to follow any of the strategies outlined here or in conversation or e-mail communications with the author. The author is not and shall not be liable for any advice taken or misconstrued.
Allergies are a complex subject. In part, that's because even more than most ailments, allergies will respond to one treatment in some people and that same treatment will leave someone else sneezing and coughing.
As with all our recommendations, if you're taking a prescription drug for any ailment, please check with your primary care provider, to make sure there's no risk of interaction of which (s)he's aware. It wouldn't hurt to do a Google search as well.
If you know you're not allergic to bee stings, you might try bee pollen. Iowa's long-time U.S. Senator, Tom Harkins swears by this stuff, as do numerous others. Like the rest of the items mentioned here, you can get bee pollen at a vitamin or health foods store and if you're not near one, you can probably obtain it on-line. The two places where I usually buy supplements are http://www.vitaminworld.com and http://www.i-herb.com. The latter is usually a little less expensive, but sometimes they don't have what I want.
If you have environmental allergies, you'll want to take this every day. Naturally, if it doesn't work after 2-3 weeks, or you have any adverse reaction, stop taking it. In the latter case, if the reaction is mild, cut down on your usage first, and if the reaction goes away and the substance works for you, maintain the lesser dose. There's no reason to assume you'll have a negative reaction, but this is always good advice.
Two other remedies we'll mention, as well -- Butterbur and Oregano Oil. We'll also talk about an old standby that doesn't involve taking anything.
Butterbur and Oregano Oil aren't things you need to take every day. Take Butterbur to the maximum amount on the label instructions (in other words, take no more than they suggest), and only when you're system is under allergic attack. My wife gets great relief from Butterbur, and obviously I hope you do too.
Oregano Oil is really good for allergies (and about a million other things). But you need to limit its use to retain its effectiveness and to prevent possible liver damage. Usage of Oregano Oil should be 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. If the 2 weeks don't help you, you might as well stop using it. If it is helping you, stop after 2 weeks, even if you feel you desperately need it. You can start again after 2 weeks off, as suggested. Pure Oregano Oil is much more potent than the oregano with which you cook, so don't think that eating pizza -- which contains the spice -- is going to do for you what Oregano Oil will. It won't. Also, because the oil is concentrated, it's very powerful and works in some of the same ways that a drug would -- except more in harmony with the body.
The standby referred to above is Vitamin C. I know an allergy isn't a cold, but Vitamin C often helps with allergies. How much you take (as with everything else said here) is obviously up to you, but if you're going to take more than 1000 milligrams (mg) a day, you need to build up to higher usage. I take 1000 mg an hour, and it has many additional benefits. We'll cover those in another post. If you start to take high dosages, however, without building up to them you'll likely get diarrhea.
The other thing you can do -- and yes, I know it's obvious -- is to avoid the allergen. If you're allergic to cats, you probably don't want to obtain a new kitten. But if you don't know what you're allergic to, try a little detective work. If you always sneeze when you drive down a certain street at a certain time of year, guess what? Don't take that street.
More questions? If you think I can help, e-mail me at jbushman@gmail.com.
Be well!
If you think you might be interested in a completely different subject covered by the same author, try http://JeffonPolitics.blogspot.com, OR http://JeffOnRadio.blogspot.com. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-available "Mobile Millionaire," a book on investments in mobile homes, for small investors.
