Allergies are the devil

My son was playing football at the age of 8 one season and he started getting sick a lot. We stayed in and out of the doctor’s office treating what we thought was a cold. After some testing, we found out my son had allergies. All of a sudden out of nowhere my son has allergies. He is allergic to 99% of outside. Trees, grass, pollen, air, you name it he will have an allergic reaction. We did the testing and his back was lit….lit. So we started him on some drops to help control the allergies. The drops are easier for me because it saves me time from going to the office weekly. His doctors tried to pressure me into getting the shots but I refused opting to do the drops because I don’t want to sit in the doctor’s office for 2 hours once a week to get shots. We still go once a month for them to check on him but for the most part, we handle allergies at home

Allergies are the devil

Now I’ve never had allergies. Growing up in Charleston, SC I guess I was outside enough that it never bothered me. About 3 years ago after getting sick during certain times of the year I got checked out and realized I too had allergies. You see allergies look like a cold to most people but it’s not. How do I tell the difference? If I got a cold I would not be able to function. Allergies allow me to function but just with a cloudy stuffed up head and sore throat. My symptoms are usually a sore throat and watery eyes. With a cold, my nose would be running and my nose doesn’t run when I have allergies.

3 Things I do to help our Allergies

There are 3 things I do to help us with our allergies.

1. We don’t go outside. I know my son needs to exercise and he needs to be out in the sun but during the high pollen count days…we stay indoors this helps minimize the need for a bunch of meds that he may need to take along with the drops he already takes on a daily basis
2. I keep the house clean and change those filters. I buy the allergy filters and change them every 2 months if not sooner. I also change bedsheets often and have bought the allergy bedsheet from Amazon that helps with our allergies.
3. Honey. This is probably the best thing you can do. Buy local honey from your area farmers market or a produce stand. You see one spoonful of honey every morning helps keep the allergies down a lot but the key is to get the honey in your local area because your allergy comes from your area…so does the honey.

Unfortunately, I have that wack Obamacare (no offense to it but you don’t get the good doctors with this insurance so its a waste to me)  so I can’t see the Doctor like I want. My son has his meds so I am left to fend for myself. I use Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Robutussin chest and cough, and I spray the Flonase up my nose (which I hate btw). I am usually down at the beginning of Spring and the end of Summer going into Fall. Some other things you can do

• Mix a tablespoon of ACV with a dash of ginger, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and lemon.
• On high pollen days bath as soon as you get home. I make my son strip daily and go ahead and take his bath as soon as he gets home if he had PE outside that day
• Diffusing essential oil can help with everything from low energy to headaches to sinus congestion. Peppermint, eucalyptus, oregano, and tea tree oil are among some of the best for clearing up your nasal passage or head fog
• Rub down with vicks to help you at night. I dab a little on the pulse spot on my arm and on my back
• Something hot like cayenne pepper or hot ginger can help clear up a stuffy nose. Onion and garlic might also help clear up your head (luckily my nose doesn’t get stopped up during allergy season thank goodness)
• Get a humidifier. People have told me to get one for years and I never did. I finally bought one for my son to have in his room and that thing works. I am going to go ahead and buy one for my room also!

Allergy season can be the devil so it’s best to try to anticipate when it’s coming and arm your body against it. Remember it can look like a cold so check with your doctor to make sure you have a cold or just allergies.

Are you an allergy sufferer? What do you take for your allergies?