The bane of my life – allergies – terrible for focus (blocked sinuses) and for recovery from training sessions due to the amount of inflammation and general soreness they can cause.
Symptoms of allergies include:
- Inflammation
- Joint Pain
- Muscle Pain
- Blocked sinuses
- Dizziness
- A general shite feeling
- Feeling spaced out / brain fog
- Not wanting to train or get hit in the head
- Depression – crappy man-flu-like feeling of hopelessness
Ephedra sineca for Allergies
Ephedra is a stimulant, its also the best thing ever for sinus congestion, allergies and mucus. Its also a potent anti inflammatory.
Some people need to take extreme caution with Ephedra sineca as it can cause high blood pressure and even psychological issues according to some reports. Having said that, it’s my go to supplement for allergies and nothing comes close in terms of effectiveness.
I’ve also found geranium maculatum to have a similar effect on allergies and energy , but can’t find any research to back up my experience
Rosemary for Allergies
High in Rosmarinic Acid, rosemary is backed by studies suggesting that it can treat both allergies and nasal congestion.
Nettle for Allergies
Studies suggest that nettle can decrease the symptoms of allergies, as well as inflammation.
Nettle & Inflammation study here.
Spirulina for Allergies
A blue-green algae, spirulina is the food of choice for NASA astronauts amongst others. It’s one of the very few, true superfoods that can actually detox your body thanks to the C-Phycocyanin content.
The superfood-algae has also been shown to reduce allergic rhinitis symptoms. Study here.
Tinospora cordifolia for Allergies
Recommended by many a Tibetan monk, this stuff has a range of benefits and holds promise as an anti-cancer drug. It’s also ace for allergies and a potent anti-inflammatory.
Efficacy of Tinospora cordifolia in allergic rhinitisTC significantly decreased all symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
Quercitin for Allergies
Quercitin is found in foods such as onions as is a natural anti inflammatory and anti-histamine. I buy the powder and chuck some in my smoothies.
Quercitin on amazon here
Local Honey for Allergies
There appear to be lots of anecdotal evidence to suggest that local honey can help combat hayfever and seasonal allergies.
I did manage to find one study related to this:
CONCLUSION: Honey ingestion at a high dose improves the overall and individual symptoms of AR (allergic rhinitus), and it could serve as a complementary therapy for AR.
Gut Health & Allergies
One thing to point out here is that a lot of these supplements are treating the symptoms rather than the cause of the allergies.
Allergies are often caused by an over-active immune system, which in turn is the result of gut-inflammation or increased gut permeability.
Probiotics
Probiotics may help to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut – which in turn can help with allergies according to this study.
“Probiotics are a useful therapeutic remedy in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, but its underlying mechanisms remain to be further investigated.”
Use a high quality probiotic such as VSL3, or one from like Bio-Kult.
Glutamine or Collagen for Gut Lining Health
Leaky gut syndrome isn’t recognised officially by many dieticians etc. however there is lots of evidence to back up its existence.
Bone broth, collegen-supplements, L-glutamine and hemp are all touted as great for gut health and foods that can repair the gut-barrier.
Foods / Things to Avoid to Heal Leaky Gut
- Alchohol
- Grains
- PainKillers
For more information on gut health click this link or see the video below:
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