We are pleased to welcome guest blogger Spencer Westley, Humanergy’s former intern and wellness writer.
I was out for a morning run when I saw a deadly-looking, swamp-like waste on the side of the road. I’ve gotta tell ya’, I was five seconds away from calling the Department of Toxic Substance Control (the DTSC and I are pretty tight) to tell them that Shrek had thrown up on the side of the road, and someone needed to clean it up ASAP! It took me a second to realize that, 1. Shrek isn’t real and 2. this was just a pollen build-up floating in a puddle brought about by the rain we had recently. I was reminded how not only my friends and family, but me for the first time, have been suffering from allergies due to the crazy amount of crud we’ve had floating around this year. As someone who is new to allergies, I’ve been looking like crazy for healthy and natural ways to combat my stuffy nose, itchy eyes and scratchy throat.
Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. You should be drinking a good amount of water anyway, but drinking water in regards to allergies will keep the histamines in your body in check. Do I know what a histamine is?…No, but you can Google that. Regardless, I’ve found that I feel so much better on days where I actually bring my water bottle along with me on than on days I don’t.
Get a neti pot. You guys know what a neti pot is, right? It’s the teapot-looking thing that you put in one nostril, tilt your head, tip the pot and wait for the liquid to travel out the other nostril. Sounds gross and a little uncomfortable, right? Don’t get me wrong…IT IS! However, it is so much better for you than nasal spray as your body can become addicted to that. Add 1 tsp. of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. of baking soda to 3/4 cup of warm, distilled water to make your mixture. DON’T USE TAP WATER OR ELSE THE BACTERIA IN IT WILL EAT YOUR BRAIN TISSUE (I’m not even joking. Dr. Oz told me this). Mix it up and pour as directed in the instruction packet of your neti pot. They’re cheap, easy to use and you can make tea out of it!…Don’t do that.
Wash it away. Some people have schedules that don’t allow them to shower at least once a day. Well, now that I think about it, maybe that’s just something I’ve witnessed in my college’s dorms, but still…ew. Washing away all the debris that your body picks up throughout the day will give you a clean start, especially before you go to sleep. This way, you won’t be sleeping in the stuff that is actually making you feel icky. Not only washing your body, but washing your clothes and cleaning your home’s interior will help a bunch too.
Acupuncture. I have a friend that does it … but you do what you want. Some people can’t stand the thought of needles.
Let’s limit our tissues usage this year and kick these allergies in the butt! How do you stay well and ready to be your best self? Comment below or message us!
Photo from Adobe Stock.