Allergies

I know I have talked about allergies before but I get so many emails about it, especially this time of year, that I think it is time for another recap.

I have allergies. My kids and husband all have allergies. We moved out to Gilbert with pecan trees lining the street. They are beautiful. Unfortunately, we found out that we are allergic to them. Fortunately, I can now deal with it and I don't have to take drugs.

First thing, let's discuss why you don't want to have allergies. There is the obvious; runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, fatigue, irritability, eczema, itching. You know the drill. Who wants to deal with that? However, there is much more to allergies. When the body becomes allergic, it gets inflamed. It is irritated. It creates mucous. Mucous attracts illness. Once your body gets allergies, it creates more allergies. This is especially true when children come down with allergies early on. Food allergies perpetuate themselves. You start with one then it snowballs until you have a whole plate full of things you can't eat. Airborne allergies are hard because you can't take yourself out of the world. I can't cut down the whole neighborhood of pecan trees.

What to do? If it is food, start eliminating what bothers you. Start one at a time until you figure out what it is. The big offenders are: Dairy, eggs, soy, corn and wheat. Go one by one, allowing at least one to two weeks each. Once you figure it out, stop eating it for at least 6 months. The body can actually heal itself of the food allergy and you may be able to eat it later in life. However, if you don't lay off of it, the allergy will get worse and other allergies will grow.

For outside allergies, you need to help the body not react to the allergens. You need to calm the body down. This also helps with food allergies.

There are natural ways to do this and I am here to swear by them. I have tried many natural solutions and I have been disappointed by many. Now I have a true and tried system that works for me. It may not help everyone but I know that almost everyone who has tried it faithfully has come back for more.

New Beginnings has a product called A & I (allergy and inflammation). It is non-drowsy and contains only a few herbs. You start off taking a loading dose, am and pm then after things calm down, you can take a smaller dosage in the am and pm. When allergies are down, you don't need to take it but if you are allergy prone, it is a good idea to take some regularly. The idea is to keep the inflammation down so you don't flare up.

My other trick is peppermint oil. If I wake up with a little allergies, I put a very small bit of the peppermint oil on my tongue and under each nostril. Very little as it will sting a bit. It opens up the sinuses and zaps the allergies. I follow it with a couple A & I and I am good to go. You can take it 3 times a day if needed.

Since I have followed this regimen, I rarely have allergies that stick around any longer. I can go outside and run without coming home with itchy eyes.

The children's chewables are my favorite when my mouth starts to itch from eating certain types of fruit that trigger an allergic response for me. I chew on them and hold them in my mouth for a minute. It takes away the itch on contact. Kids do great on the chewables and they have helped many eczema laden kiddos.

Cod liver oil is another great tool for helping bind the histamines in the body and getting them out. 1 - 2 T. daily is a great thing to add to the breakfast smoothie or juice.

You don't need to live with allergies. You don't need to live on Claritan. You don't need to feel drowsy and irritable.

I am ordering on Monday for any who need to place an order on any products.

A & I capsules are $34
A & I childrens chewables are $15
Peppermint oil is $16
Cod Liver Oil is $32