The cherry blossoms are in bloom and we are moving into what is allergy season for many. Though fatigue, sniffles and a stuffy nose are certainly aggravating, the good news is you don’t have to be a victim to allergies…or to pharmaceuticals. Kicking allergies the holistic way takes diligence, but it can be done! According to Ayurveda the process is thus:
1. Remove ama (toxins)
2. Build agni (digestion)
3. Build ojas (immunity/protective life force)
Ama is essentially toxins. Ayurvedic practitioners consider it to be a sticky substance that clings to our cells. By detoxing you remove irritants and impurities from your blood, digestive system, and other bodily tissues. This way your body functions more cleanly and efficiently. When you detox, your energy and clarity improves. You can clear ama by eating a simple, whole foods diet, drinking plenty of water (especially warm or hot water), and avoiding intoxicants such as wine and coffee. A few special herbs to reduce ama are turmeric, guduchi, triphala, and guggul.
Raising agni (digestive power) is part and parcel to removing ama. We don’t accumulate ama when our agni is strong. When our digestion is strong we burn up toxins and effectively put the nutrients in our food to use. Ways to improve agni are: getting adequate exercise, eating mostly cooked and moist food (cold, heavy foods burden agni), eating mindfully and chewing our food, and adding spices to our food. Spices that help raise the agni are: fennel, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and peppers. If you tend to run hot (Pitta constitution), focus on fennel, cardamom and coriander as your digestives. If you are of Kapha constitution hot peppers and dry ginger are suitable. If you are of Vata constitution, go for the gentle warming spices: cinnamon, fresh ginger, and cumin.
Step three of the allergy protocol is build ojas, ojas being immunity and sense of protection. We cannot build ojas until we first remove ama and raise agni, so focus on the first two steps first–a task that could take awhile. When the agni is strong and the body pure, then you can work on building ojas and healthy, strong tissues on top of a clean base. Special foods to build ojas include dates, milk, almonds, and herbs such as Ashwagandha, Shatavari, and the famous herbal jelly Chvanprash. Mental and physical rest are also vital for building ojas. This doesn’t mean staying in bed all day, but rather aligning oneself with nature’s rhythms. You can do this by taking walks in nature, getting plenty of sleep, maintaining a yoga practice, and limiting use of technology, especially at night. Also, doing daily Abhyanga (oil massage) helps build ojas. You can of course get someone else to do your Abhyanga, but this is something you can do briefly on your own every day after bathing.
Keep in mind this process will take time, but the lasting benefits are worth it! You will not only kick your allergies for the long-term, my guess is that you will reap many other health benefits along the way. Working with an Ayurvedic practitioner and receiving Ayurvedic body therapies will help support you in the process.