The following home remedies are designed to help reduce the discomfort caused by the most common allergies. They may be used in combination with an allergist's treatment or, if your allergies are mild, by themselves.
Avoid the culprit. Sometimes, the best way to reduce the discomfort of an allergy is to avoid exposure to the allergen as much as possible. If you are allergic to cats, for example, avoid visiting the homes of friends who own them. If you must be around a cat, make the visit as short as possible, avoid touching or picking up the animal, and wash your hands when you leave.
Rinse your eyes. If your eyes are itchy and irritated and you have no access to allergy medicine, rinsing your eyes with cool, clean water may help soothe them. Although not as effective as an antihistamine, this remedy certainly can't do any harm.
Try a warm washcloth. If sinus passages feel congested and painful, a washcloth soaked in warm water may make things flow a little easier. Place the washcloth over the nose and upper-cheek area and relax for a few minutes.
Is It a Food Allergy?
Do you feel congested after you eat dairy products? Does red meat make you feel sluggish? Does sugar give you a headache? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you probably don't have a food allergy.
Many people confuse food allergies with food intolerances. While the latter can trigger unpleasant symptoms such as those described above, true food allergies can be extremely serious, and even deadly.
If you are truly allergic to a food, the reaction will be almost immediate, occurring from within a few minutes to two hours after you eat it. The most common symptoms are hives, diffuse swelling around the eyes and mouth, or abdominal cramps. A less common symptom is difficulty breathing. In severe cases, extremely low blood pressure, dizziness, or loss of consciousness may result. In these instances, emergency medical attention is required.
Use saline solution. Irrigating the nose with saline solution (salt water) may help soothe upper respiratory allergies by removing irritants that become lodged in the nose and cause inflammation. In fact, saline solution may even wash away some of the inflammatory cells themselves. You can buy ready-made saline solution at your local drugstore, or you can make your own fresh solution daily by mixing a teaspoon of salt in a pint of warm, distilled water and adding a pinch of baking soda. Bend over a sink and sniff a bit of solution into one nostril at a time, allowing it to drain back out through the nose or mouth; do this once or twice a day. (If you also have asthma, however, check with your doctor before trying this remedy.)
Wash your hair. If you've spent long hours outdoors during the pollen season, wash your hair to remove pollen after you come inside. The sticky yellow stuff tends to collect on the hair, making it more likely to fall into your eyes.
Take a shower. If you wake up in the middle of the night with a coughing, sneezing allergy attack, a hot shower may wash off any pollen residues you've collected on your body throughout the day. (You might want to change your pillowcase, too.) It may also help open up your sinuses, at least for a while, making breathing a little easier. The warm water may even help you relax and go back to sleep.
Wear glasses. On a windy day in pollen season, a pair of sunglasses (or your regular prescription eyeglasses, if you wear them) may help shield your eyes from airborne allergens. For extra protection, try a pair of sunglasses with side shields or even a pair of goggles.
Beware of the air. Breathing polluted air can worsen symptoms. In fact, airborne toxins can actually cause allergies in some people. If you suspect that air pollution triggers your attacks, spend as little time outdoors as possible on smoggy days. When you must go outside, wear a surgical mask, especially while exercising. Don't expect miracles (the mask won't screen out all allergens) but it may help you breathe a little easier.
Make your house or apartment a no-smoking zone. Tobacco smoke is a notorious irritant, either causing or aggravating respiratory allergies. Don't let your friends and family foul the air with cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. And, of course, if you still light up, stop it!
Keep the windows shut. A fresh breeze blowing through an open window on a spring day may sound inviting, but it's bad news for an allergy sufferer, since it can fill the house with pollen. To minimize contact with the powdery stuff, keep windows closed at all times. Air purifiers, especially those with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters) filters, may help eliminate indoor pollen, but they also tend to stir up dust, which might worsen some allergies.
