Whether it's the
long-awaited
change of winter
into spring, or
the quiet fading
of summer into
fall, for many
folks the
changing of the
seasons means
more than just
vacation plans
and a new
wardrobe -- it
signals the
start of
seasonal
allergies.
Sneezing,
wheezing, runny
nose, and itchy,
watery, red eyes
-- these are
just some of the
symptoms that
more than 35
million
Americans face
each year as the
pollen from
trees, grass,
flowers, and
plants makes it
way into the
air.
For many, relief
is just a
drugstore
counter away --
with a wide
array of
traditional
medications
available to
help. However,
for an
increasing
number of
allergy
sufferers the
road to relief
is best paved by
Mother Nature,
with a variety
of all-natural
treatments that
studies show can
help -- often
without many of
the troubling
side effects
ascribed to
traditional
care.
"Using
nature-based
products can be
a very useful
way to handle
mild
allergies
and a useful
adjunct for more
significant
allergies,
and there are
many types of
treatments you
can safely try,"
says Mary Hardy,
MD, director of
integrative
medicine at
Cedars Sinai
Medical Center
in Los Angeles.
Among those
generating the
loudest buzz
right now is the
European herb
butterbur (Petasites
hybridus),
which, says
Hardy, "has had
some very
impressive
clinical trial
results."
In one study,
published
recently in the
British
Medical Journal,
a group of Swiss
researchers
showed how just
one tablet of
butterbur four
times daily was
as effective as
a popular
antihistamine
drug in
controlling
symptoms of hay
fever -- without
the traditional
symptom of
drowsiness that
sometimes
occurs. In a
second study,
presented in
March 2003 at
the 60th annual
meeting of the
American Academy
of Allergy,
Asthma, and
Immunology (AAAAI),
a group of
British
researchers put
their stamp of
approval on
butterbur's
effectiveness in
quelling
symptoms of
grass allergy.
Other herbal
supplements
proving helpful,
says Hardy,
include
freeze-dried
nettles and a
tonic made from
the herb
goldenseal,
which she
recommends
adding to still
one more natural
treatment -- a
saline (salt
water) nasal
spray.
"The saline
works to wash
out pollen and
reduce or thin
mucous -- the
goldenseal has
astringent and
local
antibacterial
properties which
can aid in this
process,"
In addition to
herbs, many
naturopathic
doctors also
believe certain
nutrients can be
helpful in
quieting
seasonal
symptoms. Among
the most popular
are grape seed
extract and a
flavonoid
compound known
as quercetin.
Although both
occur naturally
in many foods --
and are
especially
abundant in red
wine -- when
used in
supplement form
they can be
extremely
helpful in
reducing
allergy
symptoms,
particularly in
conjunction with
vitamin C, says
James Dillard,
MD.
"There is even
some evidence
that quartering
may control the
release of
histamine and
other chemicals
that help
initiate the
allergic
response," says
Dillard,
clinical advisor
to Columbia
University's
Rosenthal Center
for
Complementary
and Alternative
Medicine, and
assistant
clinical
professor at
Columbia
University
College of
Physicians and
Surgeons.
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