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Signs of allergy:

  • Itchy eyes, throat, ears, skin
  • Nasal congestion, blockage
  • Nonstop sneezing can be seasonal
  • Cough
  • Fatigue-caused by poor sleep from nasal and sinus issues
  • Presenteeism-attending work while unhealthy

Cause of spring allergy:

  • Tree pollen (alder, cedar, birch)- pollen is Light can travel for over 30-60 miles
  • Immune system sees the pollen as threat and makes antibodies called IgE against the pollen
  • IgE later binds pollen, causing release of chemicals like Histamine
  • Histamine along with many other chemicals released by your body will cause the allergy symptoms

Can foods exacerbate seasonal allergies? YES!!

  • Nuts, fruits and vegetables from same botanical family as the pollen can exacerbate seasonal stuffiness and itchiness
  • Alder Tree pollen- almonds and cherries
  • Birch tree polen – reaction with apples
  • Grass pollen-Tomatoes, and some grains
  • Ragweed- reaction with watermelon

Can Foods help with seasonas allergies?? Yes!!

  • Vitamin C- vit C powerful antioxidant and mild antihistamine, need 2000 mg to help
  • 1 orange 100mg vit C
  • Yellow bell pepper 340mg per pepper
  • Kiwi 165mg per cup
  • Strawberries 100 mg/cup
  • Broccoli 80mg/cup

Quercetin- (helps reduce the amount of histamine your body releases)
Best source is from food, green leafy veggies, berries, but can take a supplement also at 500 mg
Apples- 7mg/apple
Red wine- 2mg/glass
Red onion-40mg/onion

Butterbur
Extract from leaves of this shrub can decrease hay fever, nasal allergeis
Take 50-10 mg twice a day

Nettle Tea and Extract
Thorny leafy herb, protects mast cells from rupture during an allergy attack
500 mg per day

Myth

“Eating local honey will improve my spring allergy symptoms”. False
Honeybees gather pollen from flowers, this type of pollen is very heavy.  Bees often have nothing to do with the light pollen that comes from trees, grass, and weeds.  Eating honey will not help reduce much of ones symptoms.  Study done at University of Connecticut could not confirm that eating honey helped allergy sufferers by desensitizing them.

Myth

“Bee pollen supplements are good for my allergies”
There is only anecdotal evidence, but no proper scientific study to support such claims.  There is risk of anaphylaxis, or severe allergic reactions particularly for those who are allergic to compositae family (sunflower, dandelion, chamomile), so we do not recommend it

Products that can help you this spring and over the summer break

1.  Xlear- Keep nasal passages clear of debris and pollen- wash with saline, netti pot, now adding Xylitol, a 5 carbon sugar to help make it so bacteria do not stick as well, reduce colds and infections

2.  Sunscreen- Kids lizard Australian sunscreen-SPF 30 UVA/B block safely blocks 99.83% og UVA light
Blue Lizard-chemical free- SPF 30 for sensitive skin, Fragrance free
www.bluelizard.net

Neutrogenia- pure and Free baby sunscreen lotion-spf 60 UVA/B with Purescreen TM, a physical sunblock, oil free, PABA free, waterproof, sweatproof, fragrance free, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.  They just reflect the sun which is safer for your body.

5 oz Is 14$
Try to avoid Anything with Oxybenzone- can act as a hormone in your body

If you are going to go into the ocean near reef, like mexico or hawaaii you want to use a biodegradable, water resistant, reef safe version. 10% of the worlds coral reef is threatened by sunscreen induced bleaching

Badger- Zinc oxide brand sport spf 35
Soleo organics- has 22% zinc oxide, vitamin E, beeswax, grapeseend oil

No oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate, 4MBC- not good for ocean

3.  Natrapel plus- natural insect repellent with citronella oil
www.natrapel.com

4.  Ivy-Dry Defense- allergy Guard- SPF 25, apply it before going outdoors to protect from plants like poison Oak
BUJi block and wash-  available at rite aid
www.bujiproducts.com

poison oak exposure in most san diego trails, like in blue sky in poway, high exposure spring, summer, fall.  Wear long sleeves, avoid it, wash it within minutes or the oil will stay

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