As if life wasn’t challenging enough already…every year, around this time, many of us will suffer from allergies…swollen/itchy/watery eyes, congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fatigue, headaches, skin rashes, wheezing…the list goes on…and on!
As written previously, when you go and pick up a box of an antihistamine, you experience relief from the symptoms, but the underlying susceptibility remains… and over a period of several allergy seasons, by addressing only the symptoms, your ability to fight the allergens can reduce…
The age-old approach we adopt in Ayurveda is to prevent the chances of allergies in the first place, and it is a strategy that is customized based on your physical constitution. If I wrote a blog each week for a year on this subject, we still wouldn’t cover a specific enough protocol for each of you, so the intent here is to provide a few simple steps to help you get started, and hopefully see you attain some naturally derived relief from the common curses of spring season.
A few easy steps you can start taking now:
Here are a few tips to help you get the ball rolling. These will predominantly serve to lubricate your nasal passages, helping to reduce the inflammation, on those passages, that made you vulnerable in the first place. I would start adopting these simple steps as early in the spring season as possible [and carry on for the duration] so as to derive the most benefit from their application:
What You Will Need | How You Do It |
Honey, Black Pepper Powder, Organic Turmeric Powder | 1. Mix 1 teaspoon of honey with a quarter teaspoon each of black pepper powder and turmeric powder. 2. Take this mixture first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. |
Castor Oil | 1. Find a place [a bed or a sofa] where you can lie on your back, and have your head hanging off the edge as far back as you can comfortably go. 2. In a lying down position, with a dropper/pipette, squeeze 3-5 drops of WARM oil into each nostril, pulling it in with your nose until you can feel the liquid in the back of your throat. 3. Spit out any oil that you bring up into your mouth. 4. Repeat up to twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed. |
Castor Oil (Eye Specific) | 1. Warm the oil, and pull it into a dropper/pipette. 2. Lying on your back, put 2-3 drops of the warm oil directly into your eyes. 3. Close the eyes for several minutes. 4. Repeat up to 2 x per day. |
Coconut Oil | 1. Thoroughly swish [as you might do with traditional mouthwash] with 20-30ml of warm oil, for 10-15 minutes. 2. Repeat each night, before going to sleep. |
Your Diet
In addition to simple options like the above, a positive step will be to adjust your diet to accommodate the season. You change your wardrobe [without even thinking] when the climate changes and in Ayurveda we practise changing our diet and lifestyle habits as well, to be in harmony with the environment. In the springtime, your metabolism naturally slows down so at a very high level we promote a heavier lunch and lighter dinner at this time of year.
Avoid or minimize the intake of sweet foods, fermented items, dairy products, carbs, alcohol and products rich in starch. At this time, accompanied by lukewarm [the hotter the better] water your body needs “light” foods such as soups, curries, legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, peas and beans.
Your Lifestyle
As doctors and health professionals will tell you, it is only going to help if you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Be active, get a reasonable amount of exercise and fresh air though stay out of the hot sun during the afternoons.
In Closing…
In this article, I have barely scratched the surface of what Ayurveda can and has helped many of my clients realize in terms of reducing, even eliminating, their dependencies on over-the-counter or prescription medications.
At Ayutherapy, I specialize in offering customized [for you] advanced Ayurvedic treatment protocols that focus on prevention via building immunity as well as addressing prevailing ailments such as allergic rhinitis and related conditions. Are you struggling to cope, dependent on meds and interested in being allergy free? If so, consultations are available, or I’m happy to have a no-charge 10-15 minute talk if you’d like to find out more about what to expect. You can learn more about us, including reading actual client testimonials here.
Lastly, if you have found my articles and/or website to be useful, or if you think others may benefit from the same, then it will be highly appreciated if you “like” and “share” accordingly on our Facebook page or in other ways…
Kind Regards, Archana.