Steps to a Healthier Life

Hay fever is caused by windborne substances like pollen and ragweed. The allergy is caused by an over reaction to these substances. Usually, the body sends out antibodies to fight off the offending invaders and the amount of antibodies sent is usually proportional to the amount of damage.

But if you have an allergy, the body sends out too many antibodies, which then attack the allergen and the body’s own tissue, causing the usual hay fever symptoms of runny nose, itchy eyes, sinus pressure.
In order to alleviate this problem it is best to avoid whatever is causing your allergy. Of course, this is not always possible.

The usual medications that are recommended only work for a short time. They only alleviate the symptoms, they don’t go to the core of the problem. Allergy shots are the same. They may work for one allergy season, but not for the next.
Natural remedies are much safer, and often go to the root of the problem, fixing the underlying cause of the body’s over reaction in the first place.

There are several herbs that help with hay fever.
Nettles has been a longtime favorite. It contains many vitamins and minerals that help the body overcome the allergy
Leeks and green onions are also excellent. You can make leeks and green onion soup. This will go a long way toward helping alleviate your symptoms.

Cayenne pepper. This herb is very hot, and if you can tolerate it, is excellent for almost any allergy or illness. It contains many vitamins and minerals which are circulated throughout the blood stream. One of the best ways to cool off after taking cayenne, is to drink a glass of cold milk.

Proteins are very important to our bodies. It isn’t just for bodybuilders who use them to gain muscle mass. Those who are sick use them to rebuild damaged tissue and even in normal states, our body uses protein for many different tasks.

Proteins are made of amino acids that are folded together. There are essential amino acids – those that our body cannot make, and non essential amino acids – those that our body can make. Proteins that are made up of all the essential amino acids are said to be complete while those that lack in one or more essential amino acid are incomplete. Complete proteins come from sources such as meat, eggs, cheese, dairy and soy. Incomplete proteins come mainly from vegetable sources with the one exception being soy.

The ideal source should be complete proteins. For most people that isn’t a problem. If you are worried about fat intake, try lean cuts of beef, chicken and turkey. For vegetarians whose main source comes from incomplete proteins, getting a variety of vegetables and whole grains throughout the day will ensure that all essential amino acids are consumed. Also, using soy protein (which is the only complete vegetable source of protein) is very beneficial.