Tips for Beating Allergies.

It is full-on pollen season here in Georgia. The trees are blooming and the azaleas are vibrant, and you know how much fun I have prancing around in all of this wonder weather, but along with the stunning beauty comes the dreaded pollen. Yellowy powder and all it's wheezy, throbbing effects. If you are impacted by the pollen and deal with allergies, here are the surefire tools and natural-leaning methods in my arsenal that I use every pollen season to keep the frustrating symptoms at bay.

Buried Treasure Acute Cold and Flu Liquid.
This is actually the newest edition to my line of defense. I was introduced to Buried Treasure Acute Cold and Flu Liquid elixir by my bff Natalie. She and her husband found this really helped when they were super busy starting their business, and she swears that in the midst of lots of people getting sick around her and working endless hours, they never ever got sick. The thing about pollen season is that oftentimes the frustrating symptoms can actually lead to upper respiratory or ear infections. I start taking this liquid the very moment I have any symptoms of headache, sore throat, or runny/stuffy nose. Usually within a day the symptoms are GONE. This stuff is like magic. It's all-natural, no chemicals, and concocted entirely with herbs like frankincense and myrrh. If it was good enough for the Wise Men to deliver to Baby Jesus, then it's good enough for my sinuses.

Neti Pot.
I used to think that the Neti Pot was the weirdest device. And I was right! But truly - this thing works. I remember listening to the Bert Show (one of Atlanta's big morning radio shows) and they were talking about the strangely powerful effects of using a Neti Pot during pollen and cold/flu season. All these listeners were calling in and talking about the wonders of the Neti Pot. Now please understand - the process for using this little tool is weird. You filter warm saline water through your sinuses by essentially pouring water into one nostril and tilting your head so that the water runs out the other nostril. Not sexy. Not attractive. But so effective. It basically washes your nose from the inside out, and keeps any bad infection, buildup or pollen from settling in. We use our Neti Pots pretty religiously during pollen and cold/flu season and it had significantly reduced the sinus-related symptoms of pollen.

Diffuser + Essential Oils.
I don't sell essential oils, but these days we all probably know someone who does. I am not partial to one brand over another because I really haven't tried enough different kinds to compare them, although once I got a massage with this Doterra Wild Orange Oil and I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. It's pretty pricey though, so I try to buy oils that are a little more in the realm of "normal". I use this diffuser and essential oils in my bedroom and Everett's bedroom a lot - especially back in the day when Everett wasn't sleeping like ever. But during pollen season, I really crank up the oils to reduce symptoms of inflammation. I like to mix oils, and some of my favorite recipes are mixing this Peppermint Oil with Eucalyptus and Lavender (for relief and good sleep) and Lemon with Sweet Orange (for cleansing and clarifying). It helps us sleep more deeply, reduces the sneezing and inflammation, and it makes the room smell incredible. If you have a certain brand of oils to recommend, please leave it in the comments! I'm all ears!

Hot Water with Lemon and Honey.
I like to call this one my "granny tea". It's sooooo good, friends! When you want a break from the endless amounts of green tea and chamomile or whatever your choice hot beverage might be - try this! Brew up some hot water, squeeze a slice of lemon (or two) and drizzle and ample amount of honey. Trust me on this one, you will be hooked. This is the perfect beverage to unwind with at the end of the day, or in the case of pollen season, the perfect thing to sip on all the live long day :)

There you have it! These are my go-tos when I need to resolve a pollinated sinus situation. Any natural methods that work for you? Please make sure to share them in the comment section!