Is Seasonal Discomfort Making You Miserable? This May Help!

Spring is in the air and is signaling the end of winter’s hibernation. And, with weekend temperatures hitting 70 degrees here in our home town, you couldn’t keep us indoors. After spending Saturday morning at our first-of-the-season community garden work party, weeding the Hopelink garden, we spent the afternoon weeding our own front yard, installing some landscape lighting (alright, handy husband Mark did that part) and planting some herbs in pots on the back deck.

But for many, this can be a difficult time of year because of seasonal discomfort. Itchy, watery eyes and sneezing can really suck the joy out of en”joy”ing the great outdoors. This can be especially true if you live in an area such as California, where rain has been scarce and the pollen count is high.

So, if you find yourself having to choose between being outdoors in the sunshine or staying inside in order to breathe more freely, I’d like to offer you some strategies to ease your discomfort without the usual unpleasant side effects.

1. Neti pot – this little ceramic container that looks like “Aladdin’s Lamp” is used to perform nasal irrigation, an ancient technique from India, that rinses irritants like dust, pollen and mucus from your sinuses. You can buy one at most health food stores, natural markets or online. It comes with instructions but, basically, you boil a pint of purified water and let it cool down until it’s warm and then add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of quality sea salt. Some people also add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda but that’s optional. You fill the lamp with the solution, bend over the bathroom sink and pour it through one nostril and let it flow out the other. If you’re a visual person, there are “how to” videos on YouTube that you can search for.
2. Consume raw local honey – the “local” is important because the honey will contain the offending substances from your area and help your body to adapt to them. I think of it like homeopathy where the premise is “like cures like.”
3. Consider probiotics – Imbalanced gut flora can have a negative affect on the body’s ability to deal with airborne irritants. Make sure it’s a good quality probiotic.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar – this time tested folk remedy can help to reduce mucus. I like to enjoy it on my salad with some olive oil, but you can also mix a tablespoon of ACV with a teaspoon of raw local honey in a glass of warm purified water and drink it down. It tastes really good and has an impressive list of potential benefits easily revealed by a Google search.
5. Essential oils – for example, a combination of lemon, lavender and peppermint essential oils has been shown to help cleanse the body’s systems, calm, balance and promote clear breathing and healthy respiratory function. I’ve recommended this to a few people lately and the feedback has been extremely positive.

Wishing you all the joys of springtime!