Alternatives to OTC Allergy Medicine for Natural Allergy Relief
Are you struggling with allergies? You are not alone!!
Would you like some tips about natural supplements and alternatives to OTC allergy medicine?
Here are my top 9 supplements for allergy support.
9 Alternatives To OTC Allergy Medicine
1. Quercetin
Quercetin is a flavonoid from vegetables, fruits and berries and is a pigment that gives many of these foods their vibrant colors. There are many different types of flavonoids and Quercetin is special in its functions. It offers many different benefits such as immune support, supporting normal inflammatory response especially in the respiratory system. Its effect on allergies is through the process of decreasing histamine in the body. Quercetin helps to stabilize mast cells which make histamine and stops histamine from being released. By decreasing histamine release from this cell it helps decrease allergy symptoms and also decrease inflammation. Quercetin also supports a healthy aging process.
2. Rutin
Rutin is another type of flavonoid that is similar to Quercetin but Rutin has more anti-oxidant affects in the body as well as helping to reduce cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and helps to maintain the strength of the capillaries which are the smallest blood vessels. Having a good anti-oxidant that is similar to Quercetin is very helpful in an allergy formula.
3. Bromelain
Bromelain is an enzyme from pineapple that has anti-inflammatory effects and can help with digestion. Both of these effects are helpful for decreasing allergies via the digestive tract.
4. Vitamin C
Vitamin C has been known for its benefits on the immune system and can also help to decrease histamine especially in the respiratory tract. Vitamin C also helps with the absorption of iron, has been used in IV form for cancer prevention and many other illnesses. My Natural Medicine For Health supplement line has C-Complete which has 750mg of Vitamin C per capsule and also a product called C + Bioflavonoids which has 500mg of Vitamin C and 500 mg of a Bioflavonoid blend.
5. Freeze Dried Nettles
have recently been found to decrease histamine in a similar way to Quercetin by decreasing the release of histamine from mast cells. It also can help lower blood pressure by stimulating Nitric Oxide which dilates blood vessels. Nettle is also an anti-oxidant and can help balance blood sugar by enhancing the effects of insulin.
6.NAC
NAC (N-acetyl Cysteine) is an amino acid and is the main precursors to glutathione production in the liver along with zinc and selenium. Gluathione is a potent anti-oxidant for the body which is very helpful for our immune system and decreasing inflammation. One of the side effects of NAC is it can make your nose run and for anyone with a congested nose when they have allergies this can be very helpful. You can find NAC here.
NOTE: The supplements I just mentioned are all powerful on their own. But together they provide synergistic benefits. We have combined them all into our Natural Medicine For Health product called Aller-ease. I usually recommend patients to take 1-2 capsules twice daily during allergy season or all year round, if needed.
7. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a supplement that should be added to your daily regimen as it has so many benefits. It’s an anti-inflammatory, benefits the bones by increasing the calcium absorption in the bones. It’s also great for the immune system and because of that it will help with allergies. The supplement I recommend also has Vitamin K2 (MK-7 form) which also helps to put calcium in the bones and keep it out of your arteries. We have D3/K2 5000 and D3/K2 10,000….both available in 60 and 120 capsule bottles.
8. Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral for the immune system, tissue healing, thyroid function, focus and many more. An old phrase used for zinc is: No Zinc, No think. So it’s helpful for our brain and focus especially in people with ADD. Zinc has also been very helpful for anxiety and depression. I usually recommend patients to take 20-30 milligrams of Zinc daily. You can find Zinc here.
9.DAO
A unique supplement for histamine is DAO (diamine oxidae). This is an enzyme that breaks down the histamine that is naturally found in some foods. There are many foods that have histamine and cheeses, alcohol, aged meats are just a few. You can look up histamine containing foods. When DAO is taken at the time of consuming these foods it will greatly decrease the amount of histamine that your body absorbs from these foods. When we absorb histamine from foods our body will think it’s having an allergic reaction and we can get a headache, upset stomach, turn bright red, get stuffed up and many other symptoms. While it seems like those are allergy symptoms, they are not true allergy symptoms. DAO can help decrease those symptoms and you can enjoy histamine containing foods again! You can find DAO here.
All of these supplements can help you reduce allergy reactions and enable you to have a better immune response as well. For convenience, we have combined the individual supplements into a MedPack….our Allergy Support Pack…containing all the individual supplements in convenient packages for morning and evening dosages.
