Honey, Probiotics & Other Natural Remedies For Seasonal Allergies
Although I personally don't have to deal with allergies, more than half of my inner circle does. Almost like clockwork, once spring and fall (especially) roll around, I can bet on them complaining about sore throats, sinus headaches, mucus draining, inflammation and having trouble falling asleep. They absolutely hate it. In fact, the only thing they seem to hate more is loading up on all of the meds that their doctor prescribes them.
If, like 40-60 million other people, you can totally relate to where they are coming from, there are a couple of things to consider. One, don't just assume that with the change of seasons, you're allergic to your outside environment. It's a good idea to take an allergy test because it can reveal what your true triggers are. While it could be dander or pollen, it could also be how your body is reacting to a particular kind of food or the dust that's in your home.
Second, if you do indeed suffer from some form of allergic rhinitis, there are some all-natural remedies that are just as potent and effective as prescribed medication. As a bonus, they are less expensive and have less side effects than certain types of drugs do.
Remedies For Seasonal Allergies
1.Local Honey
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I'd be hard-pressed to find something that honey isn't good for. Despite how delicious it tastes, honey is an awesome hair conditioner, blemish-treater, weight loss manager, sleep agent, energy booster, wound healer and diabetes aid. If you have a cold and take a teaspoon of it at night, it can even suppress your cough so that you can sleep soundly.
Honey is also a natural antibiotic when it comes to treating allergies. Part of the reason is because of all of the antioxidants that are in it. But even more than that, honey contains bee pollen. If you make sure to consume local honey, your body will partake in something called immunotherapy. Long story short, when you eat the same kind of pollen that the bees in your area leave in flowers, it desensitizes you to the pollen itself. The result is bye-bye to allergy-related drugs.
2.Probiotics
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In a nutshell, probiotics are living microorganisms that you can consume through fermented foods (like pickles or sauerkraut) or supplements. The reason why they are so good for us is because when the balance of bacteria in our system is off, it can cause all sorts of diseases and infections. It's believed that probiotics can do everything from strengthen our heart and boost our immune system to reduce body fat and heal yeast infections.
When you feel allergy symptoms coming on, it's smart to load up on probiotics. The reason why is because many of the symptoms are the direct result of your system being imbalanced. Probiotics can give your body the good bacteria that it needs in order to get your system back on track.
3.Nettle Leaf
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Nettle leaf is an herb that contains vitamins A, B, C and K. It also has calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, amino acids and antioxidants in it. If you take nettle leaf on a regular basis, it can control your blood sugar, detoxify your liver and lower your blood pressure (just make sure to run it by your doctor first if you are currently taking blood pressure or diabetes medication).
If hay fever is your biggest seasonal allergy-related Achilles heel, nettle leaf is great at reducing the inflammation in the lining of your nose. Research reveals that it's the kind of herb that can even inhibit seasonal allergy inflammation before your stuffy nose starts.
4.Apple Cider Vinegar
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A few days ago, I read an article that literally listed 100 ways to use apple cider vinegar. On the list, there was everything from using it to clarify hair and clean tubs to clean jewelry and kill weeds. However, it's what it does health and beauty-wise that causes it to reign supreme in my book. Some of apple cider vinegar's benefits in those categories include it helps to clear up acne, remove skin tags, tone skin, lower blood sugar levels and decrease PMS symptoms.
As far as allergies go, if it's the amount of mucous that's driving your body crazy, apple cider vinegar has a remarkable way of removing mucus while cleansing your lymphatic system in the process. The best way to get immediate relief is to swallow a teaspoon of the vinegar and immediately chase it down with a full glass of water.
By the way, not all apple cider vinegars are created equal. Get the kind that has "the mother" in it if you can. Brand-wise, Bragg is best.
5.Basil Oil
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If you're looking for a new bottle of essential oil to add to your collection, basil oil is a great one. It's an herb that contains the kind of medicinal properties that can relieve indigestion and constipation. It also helps to increase blood circulation, relieve pain, heal bruises and insect bites as well as reduce stress.
Due to the powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that this particular oil contains, basil oil is also able to effectively treat asthma, bronchitis and, yes, sinus infections. One reason is because it has the ability to detoxify the bacteria and viruses that may be causing the infection. The other reason is because it fights inflammation, yeast and mold.
Get the most out of basil oil by putting a drop into your juice or salad dressing once a day until your symptoms clear up. Or, you can add 2-4 drops of it into two tablespoons of organic oil and rub it directly onto your chest before turning in at night.
6.Orange Foods
Remember how I mentioned at the beginning that it's best to not self-diagnose your allergies? That you should get tested by a professional so that you can know exactly what you are allergic too? If money or time is tight and you'd prefer to take the process of elimination route, you might want to start with the following foods: pineapples, cucumbers, melons, shellfish, soy, sugar and wheat; they are all known to trigger allergens.
At the same time, foods that help to combat allergies are ones that are super high in beta carotene; specifically carotenoids. Because our bodies naturally convert beta carotene into Vitamin A and that's a vitamin that builds our immune system and keeps our mucus membranes healthy, it makes total sense that eating carotenoids is a natural allergy relief solution. Foods that are orange in color tend to contain quite a bit of them. Some that top the list are carrots, apricots, butternut squash, orange bell peppers and sweet potatoes.
7.Butterbur
Butterbur is the kind of herb that you may have never heard of before, but if you suffer from seasonal allergies, I'm pretty sure you'll keep a supply of it from here on out. The backstory on butterbur is it's a flowering plant with strong medicinal properties. Although it's known to combat obesity and lower blood pressure while helping to prevent blood clots, butterbur has got the best reputation for how it treats sinus issues.
Thanks to all of the antioxidants that are found in butterbur, it can decrease migraines, relieve hay fever, treat asthma and reduce allergy-related symptoms. So much so, that one study revealed that when almost 600 people took it for two weeks straight, 90 percent stated that their allergy symptoms were significantly reduced.
8.Distilled Water
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Over half of your body is made up of water and a part of water's job is to flush toxins out of your system. So yep, water is one of the best remedies for seasonal allergies. The best kind of water to drink? Distilled. Distilled water is the state water is in once all of the impurities and minerals are removed from it. Since in its purest form, it's one of the best ways to detox your system while improving digestion.
Just keep in mind that, even with water, you can get too much of a good thing. Since distilled water is void of minerals, drink it when your allergy symptoms are at their peak and then resort to sparkling, mineral, etc. once they have subsided.
Hopefully this keeps you both allergy and pharmacy free, y'all. Good luck!
Featured image by Getty Images.
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Different puzzle pieces are creating bigger pictures these days. 2024 will mark a milestone on a few different levels, including the release of my third book next June (yay!).
I am also a Professional Certified Coach. My main mission for attaining that particular goal is to use my formal credentials to help people navigate through the sometimes tumultuous waters, both on and offline, when it comes to information about marriage, sex and relationships that is oftentimes misinformation (because "coach" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, oftentimes quite poorly).
I am also still super devoted to helping to bring life into this world as a doula, marriage life coaching will always be my first love (next to writing, of course), a platform that advocates for good Black men is currently in the works and my keystrokes continue to be devoted to HEALTHY over HAPPY in the areas of holistic intimacy, spiritual evolution, purpose manifestation and self-love...because maturity teaches that it's impossible to be happy all of the time when it comes to reaching goals yet healthy is a choice that can be made on a daily basis (amen?).
If you have any PERSONAL QUESTIONS (please do not contact me with any story pitches; that is an *editorial* need), feel free to reach out at missnosipho@gmail.com. A sistah will certainly do what she can. ;)
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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These 11 Married Couples Share Their Keys To Long-Term Marital Success
The late actor Audrey Hepburn once said something that I think a lot of married couples who have at least 10 years under their belt will agree with: “If I get married, I want to be very married.” In my mind, this means very committed, very complementary, and very willing to go the distance — otherwise, what’s the point?
Really, what’s the point?
Thing is, with the divorce rate still being higher than it ever should be (for the record, a husband is not a boyfriend, and a wife is not a girlfriend; a marriage is serious business, y’all) and acting married being praised (or at least acknowledged) more than actually being married seems to be — folks who 1) are married and are looking for some hacks that will help with relational longevity or 2) want to be married someday and want insight on how to make their future marriage last are constantly seeking truly beneficial material.
Can you Google articles with random bullet points? Sure. And I’m not discouraging it. Every little bit of wisdom that you can pull, I fully support. However, the reason why I like to do articles like this one from time to time is there is something to be said from hearing real talk from multiple sources on the same topic who have some solid wisdom and knowledge on a particular topic.
Today? 11 married couples who were willing to talk about how they’ve been able to make it to several wedding anniversaries with a smile on their face and no regrets for choosing who they chose. Let’s all sit at their feet for just a moment.
*Middle names are always used in my content that’s like this so that people can speak freely*
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1. Kyle and Adrienne. Married 12 Years.
Kyle: “Some of your readers aren’t going to want to hear this but it’s worked for my marriage: people need to lower their expectations sometimes; I mean, men and women. We go into marriage with stuff that movies told us, social media told us, friends who are always single told us about what we should expect from someone, and then want to fault the person when they’re not what we made up in our head. Everyone should have standards but if you’re expecting your spouse to be some living version of a fairy tale character, you’re going to be disappointed almost every day of your life. Drop those expectations some and watch your relationship be a lot less stressful.”
Adrienne: “Talk to people who respect your man about your marriage. I’ve never believed that you shouldn’t ever go to anyone when you need some support. Even the Bible says that there is safety in wise counsel [Proverbs 11:4]. Too many women talk to women who don’t respect men, in general, let alone their husbands, and so that’s where things go left. Sometimes, you need an ‘outside in’ perspective. But if that woman is always taking shots at men, doesn’t respect marriage, or isn’t someone who holds your man in high regard, don’t ask her for advice. Really, you should ask yourself why you’re friends with her at all.”
Shellie here: I’m big on engaged and married couples having a “village” of sorts for their relationship, too. Check out “Why Every Engaged Couple Needs A 'Marriage Registry'” to get a good idea of what I mean.
2. Levi and Paulette. Married for 15 Years.
Levi: “Some of you have probably heard of the 7-7-7 rule. It’s where couples go on a date every seven days, have a weekend getaway every seven weeks, and go on a romantic trip of some sort every seven months. My wife and I do the 2-2-2 rule instead because sometimes our schedule and budget make ‘7’ difficult. It has gotten easier since Shellie told us about the sex jar. Bottom line, if you’re waiting for time to just open up to be with your spouse, that ain’t gonna happen. Schedule intimacy, including sex. Prioritizing it is better than saying you’re gonna be spontaneous and…never are.”
Paulette: “Initiate sex, dammit. When Shellie told us that men initiate sex most of the time, and then I thought about how often I used to push my husband away whenever he did it — I never really thought about how that made him feel until I put myself in his shoes. We’ve got to stop having all of this understanding for why women cheat when it comes to them not feeling desired or not getting attention when we’re the same way to our husbands. Your marriage isn’t ‘Young and the Restless’, where you’re just supposed to wait for your man to make the move. If you want to feel wanted, do the same thing for him.”
Shellie here: What’s a sex jar, you ask? You can read more about it via “5 Reasons Why Every Married Couple Needs A Sex Jar.”
3. Matthew and Gaia. Married for 17 Years.
Matthew: “Reenact some of your favorite times together. My wife and I do that semi-often. We’ll go back to where we had our first date, or we’ll go back to the hotel where we had some of the best sex before. Bringing back memories of when you felt the best together can give you the motivation to stay together to create some new memories to ‘play out’ later on.”
Gaia: “If you want to ‘mom your husband,’ you need to have kids — or at least get a dog! I didn’t realize how bossy I was until I got married. It’s because I saw my mom be that way with my dad. In my eyes, I thought that’s what love looked like until I watched how my in-laws were. They don’t try to change each other, and they definitely don’t make any demands. They’re very polite. I think a lot of married people are rude to their partner. Don’t be that.”
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4. Joseph and Carletta. Married for 10 Years.
Joseph: “Go to therapy for your childhood. I’m dead serious. No one is going to show you yourself like your wife will, and I realized that a lot of my hang-ups came from unhealed childhood stuff. It’s hard to be an adult in your marriage when you’re still emotionally a kid in a lot of ways. If you’re at the point where you think therapy is needed, go alone and deal with your childhood first. It did miracles for me and mine.”
"No one is going to show you yourself like your wife will, and I realized that a lot of my hang-ups came from unhealed childhood stuff. It’s hard to be an adult in your marriage when you’re still emotionally a kid in a lot of ways."
Carletta: “Meditate together once a day. Even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes, you need to carve out a moment to be mindful, focus on each other, and slow the world down. [Joseph and I] have been doing it for a couple of years now; it’s totally changed the way we communicate. Meditation reminds us to put each other first; that if we’re focused on each other, we can take on…whatever.”
5. Zeke and Rachelle. Married for 12 Years.
Zeke: “An argument is not a fight and a debate is not an argument. Learn that and you’re home-free. That’s all I got.”
Rachelle: “That advice that you just got? That sums up what it’s like to live with my husband. He’s very cut-and-dry, direct, and not wordy. That used to bug the hell out of me until I realized how wordy I was and then accepted that I wouldn’t want ‘two of me’ in the house [LOL]. He’s right. You can have a difference of opinion, and it be a debate. You can not find a middle ground on something and it turns into an argument. Neither of those is a red flag. It just comes with being with someone who is as much of an individual as you are.”
6. Taurus and Madison. Married for 22 Years.
Taurus: “Be prepared for your partner to change — not a couple of times, quite a bit. And when they change, that alters the relationship because now it’s not the person you stood with on your wedding day; it’s someone else. People get divorced so much because they are inflexible; they expect their spouse to never switch up and that’s just not how life is. If you’re rigid, controlling, or don’t know how to adjust, you don’t need to marry anybody. You’re gonna be miserable, and so will they.”
Madison: “Pray before sex. Before my husband and I got married, we had quite a bit of sexual history that caused us to do some comparing, and that led to resentment. In marriage, we had to adjust to how it’s more than just what we’re getting from another person. Married sex comes with so much more spirituality and responsibility. Prayer before sex reminds us to see it from a spiritual lens — and that makes the experience more intense and sacred. It might sound weird at first. Just try it. I don’t think you’ll regret it at all.”
"Married sex comes with so much more spirituality and responsibility. Prayer before sex reminds us to see it from a spiritual lens — and that makes the experience more intense and sacred."
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7. Karl and LaTasha. Married for 9 Years.
Karl: “Check in with your partner twice a day. In the morning before leaving the house and at night before going to sleep. If you work outside of the home, a lot can happen during the course of one day, so you shouldn’t assume that the person you left in the morning is who you are coming home to. I don’t mean sharing each other’s schedules or to-do lists. I mean, asking your spouse, ‘How are you doing? How are you really doing?’. It’s a smart way to take note of their mood and needs so that you are never blindsided.”
LaTasha: “Give each other some privacy. I have never been the kind of woman to go through a man’s phone, and I won’t start. If you think that you have to be a detective in your relationship, why are you in it in the first place? I know that Karl would give me codes and passwords if I wanted them because we’ve talked about it all before. Knowing that he would is enough for me. Marriage is an institution, but damn, it shouldn’t feel like jail.”
8. Thomas and Wynter. Married for 15 Years.
Thomas: “Ask your partner what their sexual needs are. Never assume that they haven’t changed because if we all agree that we are constantly growing and evolving as people, why would sex be exempt? Don’t personalize what they say about it either. All of us have sexual fantasies and interests that we keep to ourselves because we don’t know what our partner will think or ‘cause we think that they will create stories in their head about what made us think that way. I’ve learned that intimacy is feeling okay with sharing the deep stuff. The more comfortable a man, especially, is with doing that, the better the sex will be for everyone because talking about stuff like that is like taking down some walls.”
Wynter: “It’s okay to take one vacation a year with your girls and one by yourself. Just don’t go with people who don’t have the same standards as you, and as far as your solo venture, it doesn’t need to be longer than a long weekend. One thing that they don’t tell you about marriage is how there are times when you will feel like it is monotonous because of the routine of everything. A girls’ trip reminds you to get back to you outside of being someone’s wife or mom, and the trip alone is when you can sit around and do whatever you have to negotiate most of them. And yes, your man should be given the same courtesy.”
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9. Allen and Yvette. Married for 11 Years.
Allen: “STOP. BRINGING. UP. OLD. SH-T. SH-T. Nothing creates walls in a marriage more than you telling someone that you forgave them, and then the minute something else happens, here you go with the rap sheet of wrongs. Forgiving someone means that you are pardoning them, and that’s not what you’re doing if you’re constantly holding stuff over their head. One thing that marriage will show you is how bad of a forgiver you are. Most people suck at it, if we’re gonna be real about it.”
Yvette: “I already know that some women are going to assume that my man must’ve done something to say all of that (LOL). He’s a much better forgiver than I am, believe it or not. The real plot twist is, what gets on his nerves more than anything, is when I bring up stuff that he’s forgiven me for. Allen is the kind of man [who] hates to live in the past. I’ve grown a lot because of that. I think my advice would be to stay focused on solutions and tomorrow instead of problems and yesterday.”
Allen: “Sh- t, that’s bars, babe!”
Shellie here: INDEED.
10. Brennton and Danyelle. Married for 16 Years.
Brennton: “Why anyone who is trash at forgiving would get married is beyond me. It’s delusional to the nth degree to think that you are worthy of forgiveness and others aren’t — or that what you do isn’t ‘as bad,’ and that’s why you deserve forgiveness and others don’t. My wife and I have a lot of time under our belts. I’m here to tell you that there will be something, daily, that you will need to forgive your partner for on some level. If you can’t see yourself being open to that, marriage simply isn’t for you.”
Danyelle: “I don’t know who taught so many of us that being passive-aggressive will get us what we want, but it’s a damn lie. If something is wrong, stop saying ‘nothing’ when your man asks you what’s up because, if you’ve got a man like mine, he’s gonna say ‘Okay’ and go on about his day. Brennton often says that my refusing to speak isn’t his responsibility, it’s mine. That used to piss me off because, deep down, I knew that he was right. Oh, and chill on the grudge-holding too. With guys, that’s not going to get you anywhere either.”
11. Christopher and Yvonne. Married for 26 Years.
Christopher: “Have more loyalty for your spouse than you do your closest friend. Too many people don’t think like that. If you’ve got a friend since college, you’ve been through some things and you’ve learned to forgive and move past it. If you can’t see your wife or husband in this way, why did you get married? You should never have more grace for someone who you didn’t take vows with; that’s ludicrous. Before anyone else, I’m going to prioritize reconciling with my wife. It’s because I value her more than anyone. That’s what marriage is.”
"Before anyone else, I'm going to prioritize reconciling with my wife. It's because I value her more than anyone. That's what marriage is."
Yvonne: “Even if you’re not about ‘traditional gender roles,’ discuss what the expectations are for the home. People don’t divorce over cheating as much as getting sick of beard clippings in the bathroom sink or cars that look like pocketbooks. When you sign up for marriage, you are doing daily life with another person. Articulate your expectations. Listen to theirs. Be flexible until you both can make it work. Do that, and you’ll look up, and it’s been 20 years already.”
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Gems. Pure gems, y’all.
You know, popular consultant Barbara De Angelis once said, “Marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb. It isn’t something you get. It’s something you do. It’s the way you love your partner every day.” And love? Love is a choice.
And so, whether you’re married, engaged, or simply desire marriage in the future, hopefully, these tips will help you to choose how you love your spouse (or future spouse)…better.
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Featured image by Jasper Cole/Getty Images