Beautiful weather is just around the corner, but because of hay fever, spring is dreadful for about 20 percent of us. It’s full of sneezing, runny noses, itchy/watery eyes, constant brain fog, and having to explain to everyone you meet that you are not sick. Even though it’s still late winter, now is the perfect time to get ahead of the game to prevent/reduce your symptoms this spring.
 
For athletes, hay fever symptoms can be additionally annoying. Imagine being in the middle of competition or training and being distracted by a runny nose or the urge to sneeze. I enjoy weightlifting and golf, and I cannot tell you how annoying it is when you are about to hit a shot or perform a lift and you need to blow your nose.
 
Not everyone out there wants to rely on pharmaceutical medication when there may be other options, myself included, so this article will focus on natural approaches to manage allergy symptoms. Scientific support will also be provided in each of the below steps. Keep in mind that some steps are necessary for everyone, but not others, so self-experimentation is encouraged.
 
What Is Hay Fever?
 
Before going any further, we need to understand what hay fever is. In the scientific literature, hay fever is called seasonal allergic rhinitis and is defined as an immunoglobulin IgE-mediated allergic reaction caused by an inhaled allergen, leading to nasal inflammation.
 
Our body has two general parts of our immune system, innate and adaptive. The innate immune system is the first line of defense against general threats to the body (ex. pathogenic bacteria, virus, etc.). The adaptive immune system attacks specific invaders it has previously been sensitized to. For example, if you get a certain virus, your adaptive immune system creates antibodies to that virus so if you are exposed to it again your immune system can quickly recognize and destroy it. This is why there are many infections that we can only get once in life.
 
IgE is simply a type of antibody, and for those with hay fever, the adaptive immune system decided that pollen was a threat so it created IgE antibodies to it. IgE sensitizes mast cells and basophils (types of immune cells) so when they come into contact with pollen, they release histamine, causing hay fever symptoms. This is why pharmaceutical allergy medications are called anti-histamines. Given that pollen is not a threat to the body, hay fever is an inappropriate immune response to a benign inhalant, but what are some “natural” things we can do about it?
 
Step 1: Whole Food, Anti-Inflammatory Diet
 
Since hay fever is a dysfunctional inflammatory immune response, we want to do things that will help regulate our immune system and limit unnecessary inflammation. One such thing is eating a whole food diet. Such a diet limits the consumption of foods that can cause inflammation, thereby minimizing it. Furthermore, a whole food diet helps promote proper gut bacteria balance which has been shown to regulate our immune system. Imbalances in our gut bacteria can cause inflammation and dysfunctional responses like allergy and autoimmunity.
 
The keys to a healthy whole food diet are to eliminate the foods that have a higher likelihood of causing immune dysregulation and to eat appropriate amounts of food to achieve/remain at a healthy body fat percentage. Yes, overweight and obesity are causes of inflammation and immune system dysregulation.
 
While the foods to limit can be different from person to person here is a general list of foods that are helpful to avoid
 
Hyper-Processed, Refined Food: These foods have had their vitamin and mineral content removed during processing and/or have synthetic or isolated food additives such as preservatives, colorants, flavorings, emulsifiers, trans fats, and a host of other things you cannot pronounce. These types of food are major components of the Western diet which is shown to cause inflammation and disease. To be reasonable, not all processed and packaged foods are bad, just be smart and read the label. If the ingredients are not all real foods, it’s best to avoid it.
 
Gluten and Grains: All of the confusing information you have heard about gluten aside, evidence indicates that people with allergic diseases (ex. allergic rhinitis and asthma) have a higher incidence of gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. So, it is something that should be strictly avoided…sorry! On top of that, gluten consumption is sometimes linked to higher levels of inflammation and refined gluten/flour consumption is connected to obesity.
 
Aside from gluten, some information also implicates gluten-free grains as a cause of inflammation and autoimmune disease. Since there is only minimal evidence for negative consequences of gluten-free whole grains, it is not always necessary to avoid them. However, keep in mind that there is nothing in any type of grain that cannot be found in other foods in higher and more absorbable forms. Therefore, grains are not an essential food. Because of the possibility of grains causing problems, particularly refined grains, and since they are not an essential food, I suggest that those struggling with allergies experiment with avoiding all grains.
 
Trans fat: It’s now 2020 so this one should be pretty clear to everyone, synthetic trans fat is very bad. Also, avoid anything with hydrogenated oil as an ingredient.
 
Omega-6 Fat: A certain amount of Omega-6 fat is essential for health. However, one major problem with Omega-6 fats is that they are easily oxidized. This happens during cooking and it creates harmful molecules like free radicals which increase oxidative stress and inflammation. Products called industrial seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, soy bean, corn, etc.) are high in Omega-6 and because of the misleading belief that saturated fat is bad, these oils have become the primary choice for cooking and frying. This is more problematic when they are used repeatedly for multiple batches of cooking like in a deep fryer. So, don’t use these oils at home and since restaurants use them almost exclusively, avoid fried food at restaurants.
 
Refined and Added Sugar/Fructose: Some experts believe sugar is toxic and should always be avoided while others believe it is only bad for our health because it makes caloric overconsumption easier. There is evidence to support both opinions but regardless, we know that when consumed in excess, it is very bad for our health. Refined sugar is nutrient-poor and not filling. This means it can easily lead to overconsumption of sugar and total calories which we know are major risk factors for chronic diseases (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegeneration, etc.). We also know that these diseases show elevated inflammation or a dysfunctional immune system. The safest bet is to avoid adding sugar to anything you make at home and any packed food with sugar as an ingredient. Fruit and honey are great sources of sugar for those of us that need a bit more carbohydrates (ex. athletes).
 
Dairy: If you have a dairy allergy, sensitivity, or are lactose intolerant avoid it during allergy season. This could include whey protein for some people.
 
For the lucky ones out there, removing foods from the above list and making the major components of your diet meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, you might even get rid of your symptoms, fingers crossed.
 
Step 2: Stress Reduction
It is well documented that stress causes chronic low-grade inflammation, directly impacting our immune function. Meditation and other stress-reduction techniques, can minimize inflammation and help reduce hay fever symptoms.
 
Step 3: Sleep
It is also well documented that sleep deprivation negatively impacts your immune system and is likely to increase susceptibility and severity of hay fever symptoms. Therefore, getting sufficient high-quality sleep is an essential step for reducing hay fever symptoms. Research sleep hygiene tips if needed.
 
Step 4: Omega-3
Higher Omega-3 consumption leads to a lower risk of developing seasonal allergies, likely due to improvements in the Omega-6 to Omega-3 intake ratio which decreases inflammation. So, eat some fish or take a high-quality Omega-3 supplement. Avoiding industrial seed oils helps with this also.
 
Step 5: Probiotics
As mentioned, our gut bacteria are essential in regulating our immune system and some studies show that probiotic supplementation is effective for the treatment and prevention of hay fever.
 
Step 6: Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps regulate our immune system and low vitamin D levels are associated with hay fever. The best way to get vitamin D is through an appropriate amount of sun exposure. If this is not possible, consider a vitamin D3 supplement.
 
Step 7: Stinging Nettle
Stinging nettle is a plant or herb that is a strong antihistamine and effective for reducing hay fever symptoms. You can find nettles in tinctures, pills, teas, or fresh at a farmer’s market. Just don’t eat them raw.
 
Step 8: Quercetin
Quercetin is an antioxidant found in many foods with strong antihistamine properties, making it effective in reducing hay fever symptoms. Supplementation with quercetin can be helpful during allergy season.
 
Step 9: Low Histamine Foods
Histamine intolerance is gaining attention as a medical condition characterized by an inability to breakdown histamine produced by our bodies and can cause hay fever-like symptoms. Given that hay fever symptoms are due to the release of histamine, some people find it helpful to limit foods high in histamine to avoid a double hit of histamine.
 
If you suffer from hay fever and are looking for some natural ways to manage it this coming spring, now is the time to start implementing the above steps.