Spring is almost here! For many of you who are enduring a long chilly winter this may be hard to believe, but I’ve seen evidence!
Here in London gardens typically stay green because it’s so mild. That is, unless you gave birth to twins and didn’t water it for an entire year…
I can see my garden through the window from my kitchen sink and for the past couple of months I’ve felt a little twinge of guilt every time I look out to my lifeless little garden surrounded by all my neighbors’ lush-looking greenery.
I decided yesterday it was time to take action and went out to see if any of my plants could be revived.
As I leaned in to check what I thought were dry twigs, I was pleasantly surprised to see teeny buds…and A LOT of them! Everything was just coming to LIFE and I was so excited to see it. I skipped up the steps to our flat completely filled with renewed hope for my garden, and so much more as the life lesson fully sunk in.
CC image courtesy of Anna Golf Resort Achental, Flickr
Spring is such a fun time of new beginnings, hope, and getting excited about the summer.
But if you have seasonal allergies, spring also means you need to get through weeks of itchy, watery eyes, sinus infections, going through boxes of tissues and popping anti-histamines before you get to pull out your sunscreen and swimsuit this summer.
The biggest cause of seasonal allergy symptoms is a chemical called histamine. It’s released from some of your immune cells and causes itchy, watery eyes and sinus issues among other symptoms. Most allergy medications are anti-histamines.
Anti-histamines work wonders to block histamine from being released, but your body is still under stress. Like taking a pain killer for a headache, stopping the symptom doesn’t really solve the problem but just makes it feel like it’s not there.
Here’s how to go deeper and REALLY get ready for allergy season.
5 ways to prep for allergy season:
- Make your cells less likely to release histamine – this is along the same lines as how anti-histamines work but instead of blocking the cell’s function, certain nutrients help stabilize the immune cells so they’re less likely to release histamine and create allergy symptoms. You can think of it like doubling up on your shopping bag to prevent a parking lot explosion :). Nutrients like Vitamin C and quercitin, among many others, are fantastic at reducing histamine release alongside specific dietary and lifestyle support.
- Empty your “bucket” – this includes ANYTHING that creates stress for your body and your immune system, like dust in your house, chemicals in your food or cosmetics, and also emotional stressors. When you lower the total stress load on your body before allergy season it’s in a better place to handle the extra load put on it by the allergens.
- Detoxify your liver – your liver has an important role in your immune system and helps clear histamine out of your body. If it’s overwhelmed with managing your toxic load, your immune system can become more reactive. Two powerful ways to support your liver include:
- Doing a gentle cleanse – simplifying and cleaning up what you’re eating for 10 days or more gives your liver a much needed break to catch up on it’s workload.
- Drinking water with lemon juice – drink a glass of water (warm or room temperature) with the juice of 1/2 lemon squeezed into it first thing in the morning. The lemon is alkalinizing, anti-inflammatory and powerfully helps your liver do it’s job in detoxifying your body. It’s also a nice invigorating start to your day.
- Rinse your sinuses daily– when you breathe allergens in, they stick along the insides of your sinuses and irritate your immune system. By rinsing your sinuses out with a neti pot and saline solution, you give your sinuses a daily shower and clean out the irritating allergens.
Take Action Now
Choose your favorite tip and move forward on it:
- Pick up a bag of lemons and start your day with a glass of delicious and detoxifying lemon water.
- Do a cleanse!
- Take inventory of stressors in your life (physical, mental or emotional) and what steps you can take to empty your bucket.
- Buy a neti pot and saline packets – they’re available at almost all major pharmacies. Oh, and use it every day 🙂
When you’re trying to understand what stressors are affecting your body the most it can really help to have a trained eye to assess this. Whether it’s digestion, a hormonal issue, a sluggish liver, or taking in too many toxins from your food or environment, it can make the process go so much faster when you have an expert at your side to uncover the issue and fully support you to resolve it.
To clarity the top stressors you need to address and how YOU can get your immune system in shape for this spring, reach out to me for a complimentary Health Insight call.
On this no-obligation call we’ll clarify your top health goals and cover potential first steps and strategies to reach them.
Simply email us at info@drvivianlord.com to let me know you’re interested.