seasonal allergies: Our 5 Favorite tools & Tricks

Spring has sprung and while that's great news for many of us, those of us suffering from seasonal allergies may not agree. This time of year is one of the worst for itchy eyes, congestion, scratchy throats and more. Because we feel for all the allergy sufferers out there, we decided to use this opportunity to share our 5 favorite tips and tricks for stopping allergies at their source. Do you have a remedy that's worked that we've failed to mention? Please leave a comment and tell us about it!

1. HEPA Air Filters: Environmental allergies (including seasonal allergies) worsen where there is more particulate matter in the air—things like pollen, grasses, dust, and dander. HEPA stands for "High Efficiency Particulate Air" and the filters force air through a fine mesh that traps anything that may be floating around in the air. We recommend purchasing one of these powerful beasts (don't worry, they're quiet) and placing it in the room where you spend the most time (for most people this is the bedroom). By removing the actual trigger of your allergies, symptoms should decrease, in turn. 

2. Nebulized Glutathione: Nebulizers are handy machines that turn a liquid substance into a fine mist for inhalation. We LOVE nebulizing glutathione and with good reason. Glutathione is our body's most powerful antioxidant and an excellent antiinflammatory. As allergies are caused by inflammation and inflammation produces free radicals, gluathione is very effective at treating the cause of allergies on a molecular level. Nebulized glutathione works to stop the allergic process directly in the sinuses and is also systemically absorbed to help reduce inflammation overall.

3. NAC: NAC (short for n-acetyl cysteine) is a precursor of glutathione and is also excellent at thinning mucus making it an effective natural decongestant. Try 600mg twice daily with a good amount of water. It's available in our online store.

4. Neti Pots: Using good old salt and water to irrigate your sinuses can go a long way to reducing allergy symptoms. Simply by removing irritating substances from the nasal passages themselves, symptoms can greatly improve. 

5. Quercetin: Quercetin is a plant-based flavanoid naturally occurring in apples and onions and is excellent for stopping the release of histamine (a powerful inflammatory agent) from mast cells, reducing the allergic response. We recommend 500mg twice daily.