Spring & Allergies
This week has been miserable for me. I'm fighting a terrible reaction to all of the pollen in the air. I've recently been tracking the conditions and have been trying to stay in during "high" pollen days. I use this tracker HERE. I spent most of my day on the couch with cold compresses on my eyes. I reached out for advice around fighting allergies through instagram stories and received such great feedback around successful solutions others have actually tried. After doing some of my own research it seems the instagram universe is in tune with what works! I wanted to share, please find the results below.
Natural remedies
Essential oils: You can use peppermint oil if you are not nursing but if you are nursing it will affect your milk supply.
A blend of lemon, lavender, and peppermint or cedar wood oil (if you are breastfeeding) is supposed to work wonders! You can apply the oil right onto your pressure points as needed. You can use everyday as a prevention method.
OR
A blend of lemon, lavender, & peppermint mixed with a carrier oil (grapeseed, avocado, olive oil) To apply just swipe it across your sinuses and down your nose.
Sabadil: A homeopathic medicine that temporarily relieves one or more of the symptoms of hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, and itchy throat and nose. You can find it, HERE.
Neti Pot: Neti pots are a great, natural way to relieve nasal congestion and allergies, as long as you use sterile water and don’t use it too frequently. They have been a part of Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years.
Local honey: Ingest 1 tsp of LOCAL honey in the AM and PM. When a person eats local honey, they are thought to be ingesting local pollen. Over time, a person may become less sensitive to this pollen. As a result, they may experience fewer seasonal allergy symptoms.
MEDICATIONS
If you are breastfeeding like I am you can also use Claritin which falls under category L1. There are 4 Lactation Risk Categories L1-L4, L1 being the safest.
Claritin and Breastfeeding
Claritin – L1: Claritin is considered safe for breastfeeding. Only 0.3-1.2% of the medication will be transferred through the breast milk to the baby. It is important to note that this is for plain Claritin only. Claritin D is not recommended for breastfeeding because of the decongestant that has been added to the allergy medication. If buying the generic brand, look for the active ingredient Loratidine.
Other Allergy Medications and Breastfeeding
Zyrtec – L2: This has a higher risk level than Claritin because there hasn’t been enough research. However, studies done on dogs suggest that 3% is transferred through breast milk. If buying the generic brand, look for the active ingredient Cetirizine.
Allegra – L2: It is believed that 0.5-0.7% is transferred through breast milk. If buying the generic brand, look for the active ingredient Fexofenadine.
Benadryl, Aller Clore, & Dimatapp – These allergy medications are not recommended for breastfeeding mothers. They can make you sleepy, which means they are sedating. That sedation can be passed on to the infant and may cause breathing problems.