My Nose's Best Friend

I don't know about you, but this time of the year my allergies go CRAZY!  I've never been really big on taking medicines.  (My short explanation:  There is a time and a place for medications.  I'm extremely happy that we have them in case of emergencies, but I feel that they are sometimes over-used.  That's all I'll get into right now.)  But I lived in South Carolina for a few years and the pollen was so bad there (our cars would literally be yellow after one day of sitting around!), that I actually gave in and took allergy medicine.  That phase didn't last too long though.  The health-nut in me decided to do some research and find out if my slight relief from the constant sneezing, nose-blowing, and itchy eyes was worth what I was actually putting in my body.  I didn't have to look very far - the potential "side-effects" for antihistamines (main ingredient in allergy medicines) was enough for me.

Now, before I list them for you, I'd like to go on a little rant about "side-effects" and the reason I put them in quotes...

Side-effects are not necessarily a list of effects that are uncommon.  They are merely effects that the producers do not want to make happen by you taking their medications, but they happen anyways.  This goes for all medications, hence the reason for off-label uses of them.  "Off-label" just means the FDA didn't approve the drug for the specific use, but it is legal for doctors to prescribe them to patients for these uses as long as they think it will help.  (Yes, thinking it will help is the only explanation they need to give.)  A good example is Botox.  It was first approved in 1989 for the treatment of crossed-eyes and twitching eyelids.  While being used on those patients, doctors noticed "side-effects" of reductions in headaches and smoother skin.  So even before Botox was actually approved in 2002 for use between the eyebrows to reduce wrinkles, it was being used for that purpose.  It has also since been approved to help reduce underarm sweat.  But doctors also use it to treat vocal cord problems, hair loss, drooling, pain from missing limbs, and more...but it's has not been approved for those uses and proper dosage has not been determined to treat those issues. 1  The sad thing is, the other "side-effects" can include double-vision, difficulty swallowing, difficulty speaking, urinary incontinence, death and many, many more. 2  They're injecting a poison that paralyzes muscles into your body, so it makes sense that it could cause these things!  But they're listed as "side-effects" because that's not what the doctors want them to cause. 

(*End "side-effect" rant*)

For the purposes of this post, I chose a popular allergy medication that floods our televisions and magazine ads during allergy season: 

Claritin

Active Ingredient:  Loratadine

Possible "Side-Effects": 3 4

Runny nose (Wait, wasn't this why I was taking it to begin with?)
Headache
Nervousness
Confusion
Drowsiness  (As a mother, I'm tired enough to begin with!)
Stomach pain
Diarrhea
Dry mouth
Sore throat
Cough
Eye redness (Hmm...my eyes are already red from the pollen!)
Blurred vision
Nosebleeds
Skin rash
Painful and/or heavy menstruation
Tightness in chest
Fast/uneven heart rate
Faint feeling
Jaundice
Seizures
and the list goes on... 

Did I mention that these effects have been more commonly seen in children?  Because of this, it is actually recommended that women who are nursing not use the drug because a small amount is passed through breast milk.

This list, along with the fact that the symptoms show up more in children, tells me that loratadine (along with other antihistamines) is effecting our bodies in negative ways...even if some people don't necessarily see these symptoms right away.  Children are more sensitive to many things, but just because your adult body may be able to take more before showing the effects doesn't mean we should continue to feed ourselves theses poisons, right?

So now that I have ruined your allergy medicine for you, I feel obligated and happy to give you a healthy alternative.  Some of you may have already heard of it or maybe there is even one in your medicine cabinet!  If not, let me introduce you to my nose's best friend...

The Neti Pot

I will admit that when I first heard about this from a health-nut friend in SC, I was very leery about trying it.  But I have to tell you that IT WORKS!  (This is coming from a girl who got out of cutting the grass when she was younger because of the severeness of her allergies to it!)  After buying a Neti pot, I put it to the test and busted out the lawn mower.  While cutting, my nose became a little tickly and eyes a little irritated and I thought for sure I made a huge mistake.  So I finished up and immediately used the Neti pot.

As strange as it felt while I was using the Neti pot, the after-effect was INSTANT!  No itching, no sneezing, no runny nose, no swollen eyes, and no waiting for allergy medicine to kick in.  And that's how the love affair began between my nose and my Neti pot.

The fling lasted through more than just allergy season too!  I've used it for colds, clogged sinuses, sinus infections, rhinitis during pregnancy, and even when my nose had been dried out during the winter.  So if you ever experience issues like these, you might want to try this!

How to Make Your Nose Fall in Love

What you need: 

Neti pot (You can find them at just about every drug store out there or online for about $10.  I've seen them made of both plastic and ceramic.  If you're in a pinch and need it now, you can check out this website that gives you tips on how to make your own!) 

≈ 1/2 tsp sea salt or the packets that come with the Neti pot (If you use plain water it will burn!) 

≈ 1 c lukewarm distilled water or previously boiled and cooled water

(*Read the package insert that comes with your Neti pot or ask your doctor if you have any questions before trying this!*)

Directions:  Mix the salt and water in the Neti pot.  Tilt your head about 45 degrees and lean over a sink (or else you'll get snot water all over you!).  Insert the spout into the higher nostril and pour the water through, making sure to breathe through your mouth.  (It will come out the other nostril!  Weird, right?  But the results are so worth it!)  Blow your nose to remove any remaining solution.  Repeat on the other side. 5

Want to see it in action?  Click here!

So if you have been known to throw back an allergy pill or two or are fighting a cold or sinus issues, you might want to give this a try!  Best case - you are rid of your symptoms without ingesting any toxins.  Otherwise, you just bought yourself a new watering can.  ;)

P.S.  Sorry ahead of time if your excuse for not cutting the grass or weeding the flower beds is gone like mine is due to this discovery.  But at least now you can get out and enjoy this beautiful weather!  :)