| Fall is the season of change. It is really beautiful to | | | | medications have proved most effective in treating |
| see the leaves go from a healthy green to a lively | | | | allergic asthma, but they also relieve hay fever. |
| orange before the dead of winter claim them. I used | | | | Butterbur, seems to significantly reduce the |
| to always look forward for fall when I used to live in | | | | bothersome allergic symptoms (1). The doctors |
| upstate New York. However the changing weather, | | | | concluded that it is effective and well tolerated. In |
| from summer to fall or from winter to spring find me | | | | some cases doctors even recommended butterbur |
| at my most miserable time. You see, I suffer from | | | | as first line therapy for seasonal allergies along such |
| various allergies and it is absolutely horrible with the | | | | accepted conventional treatment as Zyrtec |
| running nose, the itchy and watery eyes and finally | | | | (cetirizine) (2). Petadolex is a patented form of |
| the marathon sneezing, as if my body is trying to | | | | butterbur extracted from the root and standardized |
| break the world record for longest continuous | | | | to contain a minimum of 15% of petasin and |
| sneezes. These are the worst of all symptoms | | | | isopetasin. |
| because they leave me lifeless and exhausted. | | | | Mast Cell Stabilizers: Mast cell stabilizers prevent the |
| To alleviate the symptoms, I left New York State, | | | | release of histamine, the same inflammatory chemical |
| heck, I left the entire northeast section of the United | | | | that antihistamines stop. They may also reduce the |
| States and moved to Florida to escape the changing | | | | inflammation associated with hay fever and allergic |
| whims of the weather to no avail. Don't get me | | | | rhinitis. |
| wrong, it was alleviated but I still suffered from time | | | | Quercetin, may be useful in relieving hay fever and |
| to time with allergies and the fall season seems to be | | | | sinusitis as a result of its ability to reduce |
| the worst. | | | | inflammation in the airways and the release of |
| There are several ways to deal with allergies. You | | | | histamine. It appears to block allergic reactions to |
| can move from one state to the other (like I did) or | | | | pollen as well.(3) |
| you can take one of the several classes of drugs | | | | Stinging Nettles, preliminary evidence is showing that |
| available on the market: antihistamines, | | | | stinging nettle above ground parts might improve |
| decongestants, mast cells stabilizers or leukotrienes | | | | symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Starting stinging nettle at |
| modifiers or even steroids. Drugs such as | | | | the first sign of symptoms seems to provide |
| diphenhydramine, loratadine(Claritin, Alavert), cetirizine | | | | subjective improvement (4). |
| (Zyrtec) or clemastine (Tavist), montelukast | | | | Natural D-Hist contains vitamin C, Quercetin, Stinging |
| (Singulair), . These are highly effective at alleviating | | | | Nettles, Bromelain and N-Acetyl cysteine. So you get |
| the symptoms of allergies, especially the runny nose | | | | all the benefits of an antihistamine without taking too |
| and watery eyes symptoms. However, they come | | | | many pills. |
| with the side effects of drowsiness and the feeling | | | | In this allergy season, know your natural therapies |
| that you are having an out of body experience. If | | | | options so that you don't have to suffer through this |
| you have tried these to no avail or you want to try | | | | bothersome disease and enjoy the fall foliage and the |
| something different, there is still hope for allergy | | | | arrival of winter. I know I will. |
| sufferers in the form of natural remedies: | | | | References: |
| Antihistamines: These drugs block histamine, a | | | | 1. Schapowal A; Petasites Study Group. Butterbur |
| chemical released by our immune system during an | | | | Ze339 for the treatment of intermittent allergic |
| allergic reaction. | | | | rhinitis: dose-dependent efficacy in a prospective, |
| Grape Seed Extract, unique flavanoids, with very | | | | randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. |
| powerful antioxidant properties. Laboratory studies | | | | Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004 |
| have shown that grape seed can be up to 20 times | | | | Dec;130(12):1381-6 |
| more powerful than vitamin C and 50 times more | | | | 2. Schapowal A; Petasites Study Group. Randomised |
| powerful than vitamin E in antioxidant capability. | | | | controlled trial of butterbur and cetirizine for treating |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), probably best known for | | | | seasonal allergic rhinitis. BMJ. 2002 Jan |
| its effects as an antioxidant and its role in maintaining | | | | 19;324(7330):144-6. |
| proper immune function. | | | | 3. Anon. Quercetin. Alt Med Rev 1998;3:140-3 |
| Leukotriene Modifiers: These drugs block the effects | | | | 4. Mittman P. Randomized, double-blind study of |
| of leukotrienes, inflammatory chemicals released by | | | | freeze-dried Urtica dioica in the treatment of allergic |
| your immune system during an allergic reaction. Such | | | | rhinitis. |