Additional Info

• Segment Number 5
• Audio File wellness_for_life/1508wl5e.mp3
• Featured Speaker Susanne Bennett, DC
• Guest Website Dr. Susanne
• Transcription RadioMD Presents: Wellness for Life Radio | Original Air Date: February 13, 2015
  Host: Susanne Bennett, DC
  
  DR. SUSANNE: According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 40 million Americans—40 million—suffer from symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever. Now, suffering from these hay fever symptoms may not only be an issue due the springtime. It can actually be experienced all throughout the year and why? Why is that? Because there are different types of airborne allergens in different seasons.
  
  For instance, spring is the pollen season where trees and plants start to flower. In the summer, it’s actually the grasses. The grass allergens come out. In the fall, it’s all weeds--weeds like ragweed. I know for a fact, out in Texas, ragweed is the worst. In the winter, actually the dampness creates mold allergy season.
  
  So, again, your symptoms may be the same all year ‘round, but it’s due to different allergens that are in the air. Pollen from trees and flowering plants, grass, mold, ragweed, all irritate the mucus membrane tissues in our eyes, nasal/sinus passages and our oral cavity causing itchy eyes, nose and throat. Sneezing, post-nasal drip, coughing, fatigue and even more, possibly asthmatic, reactions.
  
  My patients of all ages are complaining of these symptoms all the time and they are desperate to find relief without taking the loads of so many over the counter drugs available that can alleviate some of the symptoms, but which can also cause a lot of irritating side effects such as excessive drowsiness, dehydration, anxiety and insomnia.
  
  Today on Nature’s Secrets, I would like to share my top five natural strategies that you can start today to ease your allergy symptoms from the outdoor seasonal inhalants for you and your children.
  
  Number one: I always say you’ve got to start with cleaning up your nutrition. In my book, The 7-Day Allergy Makeover, the entire first chapter is all about nutrition because what I truly believe is that when you can change what you’re eating, then you’re going to be able to change how you’re feeling and the symptoms in your body. Foods that I believe that are allergenic cause inflammation and what that means is, there’s excessive amounts of histamine released—natural chemicals—that are released when you are sensitive to foods or you’re intolerant to foods. So, if that’s the case and if you’ve got more histamines because of the food you’re eating, then you will have more respiratory symptoms. Now, the seven most common foods that I talk about in my book are: dairy, gluten, sugar, fungal contaminated foods, alcohol, peanuts and eggs.
  
  Now, what I mean by fungal contaminated foods are things like cheese that has a lot of dairy in it; bread that has a lot of yeast in it. Dry fruits can have a lot of fungus growth. Also, things like salads from restaurants that are not clean are just loaded with mold because it’s naturally found in dirt. So, if you can, cut out some of these foods. Of course, peanuts and eggs are really well-known to be very allergenic foods. Remove all these foods for just two weeks. You can do it for two weeks and you will be pleasantly surprised to see that your runny nose, congestion, post-nasal drip and cough will reduce considerably.
  
  Now, for more details about my book, you can go to DrSusanne.com/book. And, that’s D-R-S-U-S-A-N-N-E.COM/book.
  
  Now, what’s my second secret to eliminating allergies? It’s called nasal irrigation. I know that sounds like, “Oh, my gosh. I have to put a hose up to my nose?” No. No way. Not at all. But, do you know what? You can definitely be able to throw away those medications and nasal sprays because they have a high level of potential side effects. What you can do is just buy or make a simple saline solution nasal spray. You irrigate it with this little instrument called a “neti pot”. I use a ceramic neti pot. I don’t like plastic or metal because they can have, also, other types of toxins coming out of it. What you do is, you can use your own home remedy of 1 cup of purified water. It’s got to be purified, of course, because you don’t want chlorine and fluoride and other chemicals going into your nasal passages. But purified water and you can literally use a pinch of sea salt. Make a pinch of sea salt. If you don’t have sea salt, you can use regular salt—a pinch of it—in that water. One cup. Mix it all in. Put it in your pot—a nasal rinsing pot and then flush out your nasal passages because by doing that, you’re going to get all the pollen, toxins, any type of soot and smog and car exhaust that you have absorbed and you have literally breathed in that day. What you want to do is, you’ll want to do this before you go to bed. Yes, you can do it in the morning as well, but do it before you go to bed so that you feel a lot better for the night and you’re not loaded with the gunk. The post-nasal drip then, of course, causes coughing in the middle of the night.
  
  My third natural strategy is to wash out your eyeballs. Oh, my gosh. You’re going to think, “What am I going to do with that?” Well, I’ll you what, often allergy symptoms such as runny nose and post-nasal drip is because you’re actually having an over tearing of the eyes. The tears drain right into the nose through the natural tear duct in the inner corner of your lower lid. So, when your eyes end up being bombarded by pollen and air pollutants and it literally lands on the delicate mucous lining of your eyes, you’ll start to tear excessively and you’ll want to rub it. But, I’m asking you not to rub it because all you’re doing is embedding the dirt and pollen deeper into your eye mucous tissues, of course, causing more redness, itching and then more tearing.
  
  So, children, especially, have a real though time with itchy eyes because they really don’t know when to stop scratching them. So, I’ve taught even my youngest pediatric patients, as young as three years old, how to wash out your eyeballs and to relieve the allergic inflamed tissue. All you need is a shot glass--a small, little shot glass—or, you can even find an eye cup found at the drug store. You can get natural, healthy eyewash solution at the drug store, but make your own saline solution. Again, mix one cup of purified water with a pinch of sea salt. Mix, mix, mix. Make sure it’s all dissolved and then you pour that mixture into the shot glass or the eye cup. Fill it to the brim. Lean over your sink. Or you have your child lean over, put the entire shot glass on your eye and seal it around your upper and lower eyelid. Lean back and then blink. What you’re doing is washing out the pollen. All you have to do is blink, blink, blink. Come forward and then put new water in because you might have the pollen in that water. Put new water in and go back.
  
  Now, there’s a video that I’ve made and it’s literally for eyeball washing. It’s at DrSusanne.com/eyewash. Go watch that video, everyone, and you’ll feel so much better cleaning out your eyes.
  
  Okay. So, my fourth secret to living allergy free is by using natural supplements such as Vitamin C and cosequin. These are all natural ingredients that reduce histamines. Bromaline, black currant seed or oil will help with inflammation. Probiotics will help your gut and reduce inflammation. Sea buckthorn oil is one of my favorite Omega-7s, one of my favorite oils, that reduces inflammation and also hydrates. If you’ve got dry, irritated mucous membranes, then you’re definitely going to need sea buckthorn oil and then, of course, pycnogenol is one of my favorite, favorite antioxidants and super, super antihistamines.
  
  Now, my fifth strategy—my last strategy—is to clean up your environment, everyone. You really can’t be taking all these supplements and eating the good foods, but you end up having a window that’s open all day long and all night long. Then you’re going to be bringing in all the pollen and the mold into your house. So, close the windows, especially on windy days. Invest in a whole house air purifying system, or, at least within your room. Teach your children on how to blow their nose properly and, of course, go Asian-style by leaving your shoes at the front door, alright? So you don’t bring in all the toxins.
  
  You know, reducing the toxic load of your home will be very helpful. Natural remedies will provide us with a lot of healing of the nasal passages.
  
  Alright. Gosh, that was my nature secrets today on long health and keeping yourself free of allergens. Until next time, this is Dr. Susanne. Thank you for listening to RadioMD, Wellness for Life radio. Until next time, I will see you. Bye bye. Stay well.
• Length (mins) 10
• Waiver Received No
• Host Susanne Bennett, DC