Dr. Molly Sears, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Blog

Treating Seasonal Allergies: Beyond Claritin


Apparently 2019 is going to be a tough year for Seasonal Allergies.  Something that I love about Naturopathic Medicine is the ability to address health concerns from many different aspects to create the best treatment plan for the individual. Below I am going to outline Dietary interventions, botanical medicine, vitamins, supplements, and homeopathic remedies that can help you take control of your Hayfever symptoms. Another aspect I love about working with naturopathic treatments is the fact that the plant or supplement you are working with has multiple benefits beyond the concern your addressing. So when treating something like seasonal allergies you are also getting beneficial effects to multiple systems in the body like your cardiovascular system, endocrine, and/or digestive system. 

Diet: The Gut-Immune (allergen) Connection

Have you heard of Cross Reactivity? This is the idea that if your body reacts to one substance, there is a whole other category of foods that your body will also react to. This is basically the immune system reacting to a substance or anything they might confuse with that substance or related to. For example a common season allergy is Ragweed Pollen.  Below is the Cross Reactivity List for Ragweed Pollen. 

Investigating and addressing these Cross reactivity list can help control your allergies, reduce chronic inflammation and help your overall wellness and long term health.  

Ragweed Cross Reactivity List:

  • Banana

  • Cantaloupe

  • Cucumber

  • Green pepper

  • Paprika 

  • Sunflower seeds/oil

  • Honeydew

  • Watermelon 

  • Zuchinni 

  • Echinacea 

  • Artichoke 

  • Dandelions  

  • Hibiscus and chamomile teas 

  • Pumpkin 

  • Tomato 

  • Latex  


Botanicals

There are a number of botanicals that work to prevent and treat allergies. One of my favorite for seasonal allergies is Stinging Nettle.  Nettle has a number of constituents that make it anti inflammatory, antihistamine, and anti inflammatory. This can mostly be attributed to the phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid and caffeoylmalic acid and the anthocyanins.

Other botanicals:

  • Reishi Ganaderma (mushroom)

  • Butterbur

  • Chinese Skullcap

  • Sibirian Ginseng


Vitamins and Supplements

There are a number of supplements that have antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, and immune regulating components to them. Some of my favorites are included below.

  • Quercitin 

  • Spirulina

  • Ganoderma  

  • Vitamin C

  • NAC

Homeopathy

I don’t use a lot of homeopathy in my practice due to my limitation of dedication to learning to practice it effectively. However, I love using Homeopathy in Acute prescribing and most often as an add on to another modality. I will also often turn to homeopathy when working with children. 

Below is a list of common Remedies used for seasonal allergies. If homeopathy is new to you some of the symptoms/wording may seem interesting. 

Allium: Clear, abundant, nasal discharge that burns around nose. (Patients symptoms tend to get worse in a warm room, bright light, in damp and cold weather)

Arsenic :Thin, burning discharge. Patient tends to be restless and chilly. Worse around midnight and better in heat. 

Dulcamara: Blocked nose when in cold or damp weather, dry or profuse nasal irritation. 

Euphrasia: Watery eyes ALL THE TIME. Burning, itchy, eye irritation. Clear discharge from runny nose. Patient tends to be worse inside, when warm, and in the evenings. 

 Gelsenium :Allergic symptoms while also feeling trembling, weak, or dizzy. May have increased urination. All discharge is burning. 

Nux Vomica:Patient experienced blocks nose at night because of swelling in the nasal membranes, but very runny nose during the and especially runny when eating. 

Psorinum: Very sensitive to cold. Low stamina. Smelly or colored discharges. Dry nostrils, but constantly plugged. 

Pulsatilla :Nose feels obstructed. Better when outside. Pulsatilla patient will have a dry mouth but be thistles.

Sabadilla: Spasmodic Sneezing, lots of watery nose discharge. Lots of pains in the front of head or Body. Worse in open air, better when inside a warm room. Especially common for those who get hay fever for newly mown grass. 

Sinapis nigra: Dry and hot mucous membranes. The back of nostrils will feel cold. Patient may feel more comfortable when swallowing or coughing or when laying down. 

Wye: Itching in posterior nose and back of throat. Feeling of pharyngitis, lots of mucous and constant swallowing. Dry, hacking cough. 

Molly Sears