I’ve been having a beast of a time with my allergies these past few weeks. I’ve dealt with seasonal allergies and some mild asthma for years now and find myself getting sinus infections every once and awhile, but nothing compared to this year.
Two weeks ago exactly I felt perfectly fine when I woke up, but then all of a sudden started getting facial spasms on the left side of my face, which then turned into tingling and that side of my face becoming numb. Scary, right? At first I brushed it off as maybe being dehydrated or something minor, but then my hubby urged me to go into immediate care in case I was having a stroke or something more serious that was going on.
The nice folks at immediate care thought it might have been a stroke too. But after blood work, a CAT scan, and an MRI, it turns out it all boiled down to a stinkin’ sinus infection. Weird, because I always know when I have a sinus infection. As in, I feel like complete garbage and can pinpoint what the cause is and definitely wasn’t feeling any of my typical symptoms that I usually get with them. So I was prescribed some mild antibiotics and was feeling fine…until last week.
The sinus infection apparently made its way down into my jaw and I was in so much pain that I could barely talk or eat. I’m talking I was in tears because it was so painful. I would borderline say it was worse than giving birth to a 9+ lb baby without pain meds (yup, I totally did that), but probably only because I knew I wasn’t getting a sweet little newborn out of it. Hah!
Turns out the first round of antibiotics wasn’t really doing anything for me, so they gave me a stronger dose and they seem to be kicking in and working now. I hate taking antibiotics because I think they are abused a lot, but that just tells you how desperate I was for some relief!
Now to get off of my tangent and get to my point already, I realized that I can’t be the only one who deals with seasonal allergies and the complications that can arise from them (like my fun sinus infection from hell). On top of taking my prescribed allergy meds year-round, I also have an arsenal of cheap and natural remedies to relieve seasonal allergies that help give me that extra boost when I need to find some relief during the spring and fall.
I know this isn’t the most exciting topic, but I thought this might be helpful to share. Especially for those of you who may not have allergies as severe as I do that require drugs, but do suffer a bit during this time of year and are looking for some natural remedies that will give you some relief, but won’t break the bank either.
Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor or anything, this is just what has worked well for me personally. So definitely check with your own doctor if you are really suffering or are questioning any of these practices.
Here are my cheap and natural remedies for seasonal allergies:
1. Use a saline rinse
A saline sinus rinse works exactly the same way as the Neti Pot, but is a heck of a lot less scary looking. I use this sinus rinse and love it. I know it doesn’t sound super fun or comfortable to do, but it’s my go-to quick fix to start feeling better right away. It really helps to flush all of the allergens out of my sinuses on a daily basis, and even clears everything up when I’m already sick. When I’m consistent about using it at least a few times a week, it usually fends off any sinus infections….I need to remember that when I start to get lazy about doing it like I clearly have been this spring!
2. Watch what you eat and drink
Eating too much dairy or breads/pastas can cause an increase in mucus production (at least for some people, myself included). I tend to lean on the safe side when my allergies are bothering me and limit those types of foods in my diet. I also chug water throughout the day like it’s my job and find that alone to be extremely helpful in flushing everything out of my system and get me feeling better quickly.
3. Do hot compresses
I find sweet relief in sticking my sinus pillow in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and then placing it on my face for about 10 minutes. It really helps to ease some tension and loosen everything up. I’ve found that dampening a small hand towel with hot water and placing it over my face has the same effect, but it generally loses its heat within a minute or so, so I’ve found the sinus pillow to be more beneficial. But the towel approach works well too!
4. Use peppermint essential oil
I typically either waft the open bottle of peppermint oil under my nose (being careful not to actually touch my skin) or sprinkle a few drops at the bottom of my shower. If you are feeling congested, whether it be from a cold or allergies, I highly recommend this. You will finally be able to breathe! The relief from this doesn’t last too long, but helps to save your sanity a bit by momentarily clearing you up and allowing you to feel somewhat back to normal for a few minutes.
5. Take steamy hot showers
This combined with the peppermint oil is a great remedy. Be sure to let the hot water hit the top of your head, face, and upper back to help open everything up. It’s also really relaxing and a great excuse to take a nice long shower without guilt š .
Another thing I really recommend if some of the cheaper alternatives above aren’t helping you is to visit a chiropractor if possible. This is something that I just tried this past week actually because I was in such excruciating pain. I wasn’t sure if my chiropractor would be able to help me with sinus pain at all, but I was willing to try anything to get some relief.
I was so happy I decided to go, because I felt instant relief after I left his office. I highly recommend visiting a chiropractor if you can if your sinuses are bothering you. I have great insurance so going to the chiropractor really isn’t as expensive as it might sound, but this might not be a cheap option depending on your insurance situation, if you’d like to know more about visiting a chiropractor visit cobbchiropracticclinic.com/.
Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Are there any other cheap and natural remedies for seasonal allergies that have helped you?
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Oh my that experience sounds AWFUL!!! I’m glad you’re OK!! But man, I’m so sorry you have to deal with this š
I am one of the lucky ones that does not suffer from allergies. My husband suffers mildly and has been dealing with them for about two months now. I’m sending him this post so he can check out some of your remedies and give them a try!! Selfishly, his allergies do affect me because he snores at night due to the congestion, lol š
Thanks!! It’s been a strange past few weeks for sure.
Haha I think my hubby likely deals with some snoring from me too, and he probably sleeps worse than I do as a result!
Oh my gosh, that sounds awful! I’m certainly glad you didn’t have a stroke!
Allergies are terrible – I just recently bought DoTerra’s Breathe essential oil and apply it around my nose, and I can’t believe how well it works! It contains peppermint oil like you listed and a few other types of oils.
Thanks Ash, me too! š
Seems like a lot of people are enjoying DoTerra breathe, I might have to check that out too. I usually just go to whole foods to buy the individual essential oils but I’m ready to spice up my oil routine a bit now š
I used to have really bad allergies and asthma. When I quit caffeine, it all cleared up within a few months and it has been decades now since any problems. It may not work for everyone, but for fixing severe menstrual cramps and allergies/asthma, it was a Godsend for me. I wish you the best on getting rid of this problem for good, Christina. I’m so glad you’re feeling better now. š
Ah don’t tell me that! Haha I’m not as much of a caffeine addict as I used to be, but I definitely have to at least have my morning cup or I cannot function. Maybe a few years down the road when I don’t have little kids still waking up multiple times at night I’ll have to give that a try. I really do love my coffee though. Is it bad that even if I knew it would 100% get rid of my asthma/allergy problems, I’d still keep drinking it? Maybe I’m more of an addict that I realize…lol.
Oh my goodness! I’m glad your hubby got you into immediate care. Sounds a little scary. I have some allergies but it seems they have gotten better after giving up dairy. My son has allergies pretty bad and he loves cheese;0) It does help him when I diffuse LLP (lemon, lavender, peppermint). It’s amazing how our bodies talk to us.
It was at the time, I’ve never had anything like that happen to me before! All I could think was, I’m only 25 – way too young to be having a stroke!!
It really is, and I love essential oils for a lot of things lately. They seem to do such a great job at helping to reduce a lot of pain and discomfort.
Oh man, sinus infections can really be awful. As a mom who birthed two 8+ pound babies without meds I completely understand where you’re coming from š
My seasonal allergies are killer. I have to take Claritin every day. I also really love using the Neti Pot, DoTerra’s Breathe oil, and making sure to eat lots of local honey.
Haha woot woot, glad to be in good company š . No easy task! Although even with pain meds I’m sure it’s not exactly a walk in the park either.
I take zyrtec everyday and find myself feeling itchy if I skip it even one day in the March – October timeframe.
I love your tips! I thankfully (knock on wood) have not ever experienced seasonal allergies, but my husband does sometimes. He’s found the sinus rinse really helpful– and I bet the hot compresses would be good for headaches!
The hot compresses are great for when you need something to take the edge off. And those sinus rinses really do look funny when you first start using them, but man do they provide relief!
I have more to say on this topic than you could possibly imagine haha. I have been taking allergy immunotherapy (allergy shots) for two years now and have finally made it to the highest dose. Now only another 5 years until I have a shot of having no symptoms to my allergens š Haha but on a serious note I’ve dealt with chronic sinusitis for years now. I’ve actually had two surgeries due to sinus infections within the past 4 years. Anyway I could go on and on but I would like to say that one thing people should do when they are suffering from seasonal allergies is shower at night. After you mow and do yard work you should shower immediately as well. Oh, also keeping windows shut is important. It’s natural to want to leave them open, but it’s the worst thing you could do as allergens fly into your house and then “settle.” NEVER open your bedroom window!
I’ll stop or this will turn into a whole blog post in and of itself haha.
Ugh that’s terrible DC! My Dad had sinus surgery a few years back and I’ll never forget how uncomfortable he looked afterwards. I am afraid surgery might be necessary for me one day in the future too. Sorry to hear you’re suffering so much from allergies, they really can wreak havoc.
Great tips for keeping allergies at bay a bit! I always shower at night too, and found that having hardwood floors throughout our house with small area rugs instead of carpeting everywhere really helps me as well.
Haha thanks for the awesome contribution!
Sounds like a scary experience! I tend to get reallly bad sinus infections if I don’t mind my allergies and the worst was a few years ago in the summer when my face was in so much pain I couldn’t do anything but lay in bed all day and wait for medicine to help me feel better. It was horrible. The sinus pillow sounds really interesting though and I’ll have to look into it.
It really was, I’d never had something like that happen to me before. So strange! Ugh that’s how I felt, like I couldn’t function whatsoever. Definitely try it out, it’s relatively inexpensive for the amount of relief it provides. The one I have can be used cold too so you could also use it to cool down a bit in the summer if you have a headache or something.
I use a saline rinse year-round now and it is SO helpful with allergies! Also – love that I now have an excuse for long showers š
Right? Any excuse for a nice long shower is A-OK in my book š
Wow, that sounds really scary and plain awful! What a relief to hear that you didn’t actually have a stroke. I’m lucky that I do not really suffer from allergies, though I do occasionally have sinus problems. Hopefully you’re on the mend and feeling much better!!
Thanks Jennifer! It was such an odd experience. I am feeling so so much better!
My husband has awful allergies this year. He has been doing okay with eye drops so far.
That’s great that eye drops alone are providing him with enough relief!
I don’t have allergies (Thank Goodness, they sound awful!!), but my husband does and I am so excited to share some of these remedies with him. He has given up even trying to treat them because he says even the prescription stuff only works for a few days. Maybe one of these will help him find some relief.
Thanks Elise! He has a point, it does seem to help me less and less as the years go on. I try to take a break from my meds during the winter as much as possible so that my body isn’t as used to them so then when I do really need them from spring to fall, they seem to work for me more.
Kirsten (Indebted Mom) shared with me that raw local (to your area) honey can help with allergies!
Glad you are feeling better, that sinus infection sounds terrible!
She’s a smart lady! I’ve heard that before too, but my allergist told me it’s a myth so I never tried it out myself. I think it would be worth giving it a go for sure though.
I have heard that bee pollen can help. I have heard that eating the local honey daily can help you build a tolerance to the local allergens. My son takes the homeopathic drug pulsatilla and it works like a charm for him. He has used it since he was 3 years old and he is now 21. As a side note pulsatilla does not work at all for my husband or I. I’m not a homeopathic practitioner so I can’t explain that.
I resisted using the neti pot for years but it is a wonderful fast aid for allergy relief, just the best!
I’ve heard good things about eating local honey as well, but never heard of pulsatilla. I’ll have to look into that, thanks for sharing Jennia!
I am using the saline rinse year-round now and it is SO helpful with allergies! Also ā love that I now have an excuse for long showers ?
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