Sensitivities & Intolerances

Some people have an immediate and life-threatening allergic reaction to foods such as peanuts, which requires emergency medical attention. Here, however, we offer remedies that can help relieve some of the common symptoms of sensitivities and intolerances. These include sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, nasal congestion, inflammation, fatigue, and headaches.

Herbal eyewash
Calendula is soothing and healing, elderberry is anti-inflammatory, and eyebright is astringent and relieves irritation of the eyes.
250m1(8fl oz) boiling water
I teaspoon dried calendula
I teaspoon dried elderflower I teaspoon dried eyebright
Pour the boiling water over the herbs. Cover, and steep for a quarter of an hour. Strain through a coffee
filter to remove a11 herb particles. USE
as an eyewash, or soak cotton balls
in the herbal tea and apply to your eyes at least three times a day for ter minutes. Apply eyewash more often if you need it

Eat local honey
Look for honey that is made by bees in your locality Eat it4 regularly because it can help desensitize you to pollens in your environment
Hay fever relief
Bioflavonoids in citrus peel can help to ease allergy symptoms via a mild antihistamine effect. Chop up the peels and white inner rinds of oranges and lemons (preferably organic). Place in a pot and barely cover with water; simmer, covered, for ten minutes. Sweeten the mixture to taste with honey and eat one teaspoon three times a day.

Nettle tea
Steep a teaspoon of dried nettle
in 250ml (8fl oz) of boiling water for ten minutes.To help relieve a respiratory allergy, drink up to one litre (1.75 pints) of the tea daily
Or take two capsules of freeze-dried nettle or half a teaspoon of nettle extract four times a day until symptoms abate.

Prevent allergies with quercetin
Quercetin is an antioxidant that inhibits the release of histamine, the inflammatory compound primarily responsible for the uncomfortable symptoms of respiratory allergies. Foods naturally rich in quercetin include citrus fruits, purple and yellow onions, and buckwheat. Concentrated quercetin is also available in capsules; take 500mg twice daily between meals. Quercetin works best when started a month prior to the start of allergy season. Continue taking it throughout the season.

Peppermint inhalation
To relieve the sinus dryness and headaches caused by allergies, try this steam inhalation. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, remove from heat and add two teaspoons of dried peppermint. Cover, and steep for five minutes. Remove the lid, and make a towel tent over your head and the pot taking care to not bum yourself with the steam. Breathe in the warm steam for ten minutes. Peppermint's healing properties are in its fragrant essential oils, so the more minty your peppermint smells, the better Peppermint acts as a decongestant and, combined with warm steam, it opens up the sinuses. In addition, the herb has relaxing properties that help ease headache pain.

Eliminate food allergens from your diet
A rotation diet requires increasing the variety of foods eaten and not eating any specific food more than once every four days. Such a diet helps to remove allergens and to alleviate food sensitivities. You can choose from a wide range of additive-free wholefoods. Base your diet on fresh vegetables and fruits, low-fat animal and vegetable proteins (avoid dairy products), seeds and nuts, whole grains, and extra virgin olive oil. Choose brown rice. quinoa, millet, and amaranth over glutencontaining grains (wheat rye, barley. and oats) if gluten sensitivity is a particular problem.