natural alternatives for seasonal allergies for kids and while pregnant?

[junewedding02]

hello ladies - i have frequented this forum before (mostly reading - I can usually find what I need in previous posts - my son has multiple food allergies - mostly wheat and dairy.

I have struggled with seasonal allergies for years - I normally just tough it out and don't take anything - but this year is SOOOO horrible! Today I felt it was dangerous while I was driving - I was sneezing and coughing and couldn't see out of my sandpapery eyes they hurt so bad! And I have been waking up at night with a little trouble breathing.

anyways - I also happen to be 7 wks pregnant - so I am REALLY not wanting to take claritin - haven't taken it in years - but I just need some relief!! We are moving this week so I HAVE to be in and out of the house.

I have a neti pot (use sometimes with vinegar) and I know oral vit. C - and sometimes I do just plain saline drops in my eyes. What else will help and is ok while preg??

and also for my 2 yo son with the food allergies - also has signs of seasonal allergies (red, watery eyes, cough, runny nose) - what for him?

thanks for any help!

[kjbrown92]

I was told that Claritin was not safe to take while pregnant with DD1 and DS (while I was getting allergy shots). I was told that prescription nose drops were safe (Benconase is what I was prescribed). Don't know if any of that is true. What I would do now is a neti pot or something else if I was pregnant. With my DS, who can't have dairy or gluten (or a bunch of other stuff), he can have Zyrtec liquid (not the generic version though because they put something in it that he can't have, but I don't remember what, so check labels).

[moss]

one natural remedy i know about is fresh local bee pollen. just talk to a local beekeeper, they can use a pollen trap to gather up some fresh pollen for you.

Can bee Pollen actually help me reduce my hay fever symptoms?
It is important to separate bee pollen (entomophilic pollen) from its close cousin airborne pollen (anemophilic), the latter being the pollen that causes hay fever and other related allergies.
Allergies such as asthama or hay fever are caused by pollen introduced into the respiratory system. But scientists have found that bee pollen can help build immunity and that there is a difference between inhaled pollen and the bee pollen product.
Airborne allergies can be caused by breathing in the anemophilous pollens carried by the wind. To help build a form of natural immunity, the body requires a supply of entomophilous pollens (gathered by bees from a variety of different blossoms) that will act as a barrier or shield against the wind-borne and inhaled pollens responsible for allergic reactions.
Bee-collected pollens are very often sticky and heavy so cannot be carried by the wind. These pollens are healing, because when bees form them into pellets or granules, they add nectar and saliva. This neutralises and destroys any allergic principle (if one existed) and makes bee pollen a respiratory system strengthening food helping to heal and even prevent allergies.
By taking one teaspoon of bee pollen daily, resistance to wind-carried pollen is slowly built up and the sensitivity to allergy is reduced. Gradually the body builds up an insulating shield against the irritating effects of wind-borne pollen.
Pollen builds immunity this way: Theoretically, a certain portion of the eaten bee pollen does not go through the process of digestion. This portion remains unchanged as it is speedily assimilated into the blood stream.
Since the membrane enclosing each pollen grain is tough, it protects the grain, sustains it and keeps it alive for weeks or even months. Eating bee pollen daily will build up this supply of membrane-protected pollen in the bloodstream. When you breathe in wind-borne pollen the reaction will be much milder as your own immunity is strengthened.

http://www.apitherapy.biz/pollen-faq.html

re having to be in and out of the house, is there someone who can help you with errands and moving? the basics are allergen avoidance: keeping doors and windows shut, stay inside when pollen counts are up, use hepa filters, keep air filters clean, yada yada... if you're out and about and stressed about moving, it's going to exacerbate your allergies, mama. you've got to take care of yourself!

also, if your allergies are so bad that it's causing breathing difficulties, etc, you should really be talking to a health professional of some kind.