It's Spring time, when the outdoor world is waking up from a long sleep and we get to see the beautiful flowers that precede a fruitful year. But for many, Spring time also means allergies - sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose - day after day and week after week. You don't have to keep suffering, though. Homeopathy can help!
Homeopathic remedies can give quick and effective relief from allergy symptoms, naturally and with no side effects. They are safe to use for all ages, and often available locally at natural healthfood stores such as Natural Grocer's, Whole Foods, or Sprout's.
Two Levels of Homeopathic Treatment for Allergies
There are two fundamentally different ways that homeopathy can help with seasonal allergies.
Acutely, homeopathy can provide fast relief from allergy symptoms with self-care and the use of remedies such as those described below.
If you suffer allergies every year, though, you may want to consider undergoing constitutional (chronic) homeopathic treatment with a well-trained classical homeopath. (Sorry, my own chronic caseload is full.) With constitutional treatment, the underlying imbalance that causes the allergies in the first place is addressed, often resulting in a total cessation of seasonal allergies.
Homeopathic Remedies for Allergies
For self-care of allergies, the following remedies often work quite effectively. When selecting which remedy to use, it works best to focus on the symptoms you DO have and ignore the ones that don't apply to you.
If you're not sure which one to try, just pick one and see. If there's no improvement within two doses, then try another remedy instead.
Allergy symptoms: watery eye irritation, burning pain in nose, sneezing, throat irritation, headache, cough, and/or hoarseness
Modalities and other pointers:
Profuse nasal discharge.
Nostrils may be red from burning nasal discharge.
May want to rub eyes frequently.
Symptoms are often worse in cold, damp, or windy weather.
Feels worse in stuffy rooms and better in open air.
Allergy symptoms: burning tears and nasal discharge, sneezing, and/or breathing difficulties
Modalities and other pointers:
May be anxious and/or restless.
Feels chilly and feels better in a warm room.
May be sensitive to light.
May be extra thirsty, but only for small sips.
Symptoms may be worse on the right side.
Symptoms may be worse in the night, especially around midnight-2am.
Allergy symptoms: watery eyes with burning tears, nose runs or gets stuffed up, wet cough, and/or headache
Modalities and other pointers:
Profuse watering of the eyes.
May want to blink frequently or rub eyes.
Eyes may be sensitive to light.
Eyes and cheeks may be red from burning tears.
Symptoms may be worse outdoors.
May feel chilly.
Nose symptoms may be worse at night or when lying down.
Allergy symptoms: profuse nasal discharge, sneezing, watery eyes, cough, dry throat irritation, and/or post nasal drip
Modalities and other pointers:
May have allergies in the Spring and Fall.
Allergies may come on after emotional experience or grief.
May lose sense of taste or smell.
May have sinus pressure.
Feels worse in the morning.
Mucus may be clear or white.
Cough is dry except in the morning after waking.
Lips may be dry, cracked, or develop cold sores.
Allergy symptoms: steady nasal discharge in day and stuffed up at night, sneezing, and/or headache
Modalities and other pointers:
May be irritable.
May be sensitive to light or noises.
Feels better outside and worse inside.
May be chilly or sensitive to cold.
May be worse in the morning on waking.
Eyelids may burn and itch.
Allergy symptoms: steady nasal discharge in day and stuffed up at night, sniffles, cough, headache, sneezing, and/or sinus pressure
Modalities and other pointers:
May be weepy and clingy, wanting consolation.
Mucus may be yellow or green.
May be worse from warm room and feel better outdoors in cool air.
May be thirstless.
May want to rub eyes frequently.
May be worse at night or when lying down.
Allergy symptoms: itchy runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and/or headache
Modalities and other pointers:
May feel nervous.
Sensation of a lump in the throat.
Nose may be very itchy.
May be chilly and feel worse in cold air.
May be worse from smelling flowers.
Feels better from warm drinks and warm room.
Other Remedies
The remedies listed above are the most-commonly indicated homeopathic remedies for allergies.
However, there are several others that may be indicated as well, including Ambrosia (esp. for ragweed allergies), Apis mellifica (esp. with throat swelling and/or hives), Gelsemium (esp. with trembling or chills), Kali bic (esp. for thick, ropy mucus), Sulphur (esp. for summer allergies), and Wyethia (esp. with itching in roof of mouth or behind nose).
An isopathic remedy of Mixed Pollens 30c can also work well to keep allergies at bay. Dosing is much more infrequent, such as taking one dose every week or two during allergy season.
Potency and Dosing
With all homeopathic remedies, the least number of doses is always the best. Homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body to heal itself.
Potency
30c is the potency I generally start with for treatment of acute illnesses and allergies.
Dosing
Start with 30c dry dose for 1-2 doses, then switch to a wet dose for further doses.
When a dose leads to improvement, wait-and-watch to determine when to give the next dose.
Do NOT take the next dose while improvement is happening. Rather, wait to give the next dose until there is regression of the symptoms, or a plateau (when the improvement levels off and then remains unchanged).
If no improvement is observed within 2-3 doses of taking a remedy, the remedy should be discontinued.
A good starting place is to assess whether another dose is needed every 4-6 hours. With the right remedy, the dosing frequency will tend to become less frequent in the subsequent days until the allergies are fully resolved, so that by the end, a dose may be needed only once every 18-48 hours or so.
There is more detailed information about dosing in these two articles:
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or licensed healthcare professional. I am a homeopathic practitioner whose services are considered complementary and alternative by the state of New Mexico. The uses of homeopathic remedies described herein are provided for educational use only.
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