Guest
Post
by Melissa Tamura
May 16, 2010
Melissa Tamura is a writer for The Zen College Life blog. She recently guest post about How to Prevent Summer Allergies from Ruining Your Vacation. A must to read for the summer holiday!
How to Prevent Summer Allergies from Ruining Your Vacation
Allergies can be a bummer on a regular day but when you are on vacation they can be especially annoying. Symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing, fatigue, itchy eyes, and headache can ruin a what is supposed to be a wonderful vacation. When you are going on vacation there is a lot you can do to prevent as well as simply reduce allergy symptoms as they occur. There are a variety of alternative treatments and that will boost your immune system to prevent the allergic response. You can also take over the counter medications and take other precautions to ease your symptoms before and during your vacation.
Allergies are caused by hypersensitivies to allergens such as pollen, dust mites, pet dander, or mold spores. Depending on where you are going your allergies may be better or worse so you should prepare for the worst. You may also look up how much of your particular allergen are in the area you are vacating to during the time you are going.
Herbal and nutritional supplements will not cure allergies but they will very well reduce the symptoms caused by allergies. Carotenoids found in spinach, kale, collard greens, sweet potatoes, apricots, pumpkins, carrots and butternut squash have also been known to reduce allergy symptoms particularly inflammation in the airways. If you want to reduce inflammation caused by allergies during your vacation you could fill up on foods high in carotenoids before and during your trip. Butterbur is an herb that can be taken for allergy symptom relief. It works by blocking histamines and leukotrienes in the body so that the inflammatory response does not occur. Although those who have pollen allergies should not take Butterbur as it is from the Ragweed family. Quercetin is another supplement that works to get rid of allergy symptoms by blocking the histamine response.
There are also other ways to reduce the extreme symptoms that often come along with allergies. By taking Omega-3 Fatty Acid supplements regularly or getting enough through foods high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids may help as well. Omega-3 Fatty Acids work by decreasing inflammation in the body thus reducing the symptoms of allergies. You may want to drink more water before and during your trip to reduce the thickness of mucus and thus reduce congestion. Decreasing your dairy intake will also decrease the amount of mucous the body creates. Eucalyptus oil or Vick's rub can help open up the sinuses and reduce.
During your vacation you may want to come up with a daily routine to help ease your allergy symptoms. First you should take a shower if you are congested or have sinus pressure. Next you may take an over the counter or prescription anti-histamine. Plan to take the anti-histamine medication throughout the day depending on how long yours lasts. Another great way to reduce your nasal congestion is to try a nasal wash or netty pot. To wash your nose you should use a bottle with a mouth the size of one nostril. Fill the bottle with warm water with some sea salt added. Lean over the sink and tilt your head as your pour the solution into one nostril and then the other. The solution should go through to the other side.
While alternative treatments and over the counter medications may be really effective for some people if they simply just do not cut it you may have to take more drastic measures. You may also consider getting allergy shots before you leave for your trip to reduce symptoms more long-term.
If you like this article, you can also read another of her great post that she recently ranked The Top 10 best online-schools on the Zen College Life blog.
This guest post is a contribution of Melissa Tamura. She welcomes your comments at her email address melissatamura@gmail.com
Source:
www.zencollegelife.com