The weather is getting warmer and we all have the urge to frolic in nature but those darn allergies are kicking up!

What causes seasonal allergies?

Well, it's a response from your immune system that mistakenly identifies airborne substances like pollen as harmful.  The body then goes into action and  produces antibodies to combat it.  Then each time you encounter that substance (like pollen) those antibodies tell your immune system to release chemicals like histamine into your bloodstream. Then histamine causes all those annoying symptoms like headaches, itchy eyes, swelling, and congestion.

So how do we decrease histamine in our bodies?

You're in luck!  There's quite a bit we can do!

First let's focus on food.  limit your intake of histamine releasing foods for the season which includes:

• Alcohol

• Bananas

• Chocolate

• Eggs

• Canned Fish

• Milk

• Papayas

• Pineapple

• Shellfish

• Strawberries

• Tomatoes

There are quite a lot of wonderful herbs that can decrease histamine levels and help stabilize mast cells, my personal favorite...

Dried Nettles (my favorite & in season!) simply add 1 tablespoon of tea to 1 cup water, steep with lid closed for 10 minutes and drink throughout the day.  They're also rich in nutrients too like vitamin C.

 Supplements can also help if you require extra enforcement...

I really like Aller-C which contains an excellent formulation including Vitamin C, quercetin, bioflavonoids, and bromelian.

There are also some great lifestyle changes that you can make during allergy season like...

• washing your pillow case 2-3 times a week

• taking your shoes off at the door

• washing your face each night before bed to remove allergens

• netti pot to clean out nasal pathways