3 Ways to Prevent the Sniffles

It’s spring, and while everybody else is outside enjoying the warmer weather, you’re stuck at home without even an open window to let the new season in. That’s because you’re so allergic to pollen that just a few grains make your eyes start watering and your nose start running.

Raw honey may be the answer to your problems. It contains traces of pollen so eating a few tablespoons a day, perhaps spread on toast or stirred into your tea, may help to accustom your immune system to pollen and stop it from triggering hay fever every time you’re exposed to it. 

Here’s another smart, unorthodox trick for controlling those seasonal sniffles: try drinks or supplements that contain spirulina, a blue-green algae. This is  a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that can help to quell an overreactive response of the immune system to triggers such as pollen.

According to a review in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology, this and other studies give good evidence that spirulina has positive effects in relieving hay-fever symptoms. You can find Algae at health food stores such as Holland and Barrett.

You may have heard of ‘friendly’ bacteria – the type that keeps your body in good working order and stops the ‘bad’ bacteria from taking over. Well, yogurt is packed with these healthy micro-organisms and it has been shown that eating two 150-g servings a day may help you to avoid the misery of colds during winter. Try these recipes for new ways to eat yogurt to help you aviod that dreaded cold.