The blossoming trees and flowers bring vibrant, beautiful colors to the Hill, but with these new blooms comes pollen that can wreak havoc on sinuses and cause seasonal allergy flare ups. Runny noses and itchy eyes can be very bothersome, so here are a few at home and over-the-counter remedies to help get you through allergy season.
- How to combat a sore throat and cough:
A warm tea with a spoon full of honey will help soothe a sore throat while providing your body many other health benefits. Local honey can be used as a cough suppressant as well as give your body antioxidants that will give nutrients to your body and help you fight off colds. Herbal teas also have natural antihistamines that will help with inflammation due to pollen.
- How to combat itchy eyes:
Itchy eyes can become very painful and swollen without the proper care. Sometimes, no matter how many times you put in itchy relief eye drops, the pain doesn’t subside. Instead of using regular eye drops, try using gel drops. The gel spreads around your eye with more ease and soothes them for longer than the standard liquid kind. If your eyes are a bit swollen from the itching, put an ice cube in a wet rag and hold it over your eye to minimize redness. Freezable eye masks will also do the trick.
- How to combat a runny nose:
If your nose is constantly running and itching, then it may be time to rinse out your sinuses with a Neti pot. Pouring water up your nose can seem daunting, but using the Neti pot can relieve pressure headaches by pushing out all of the mucus clogging your sinuses. The saline solution that you rinse with will also help inflammation and heal any irritated skin in your nose that can be caused from overuse of tissues.
Even wearing masks can help you this season as they filter out pollen particles. And if all else fails, you may need to talk to your doctor about prescribed or over-the-counter medicines. These remedies will not get rid of your allergies, but they can help alleviate some of the symptoms.