As many as 50 million Americans have allergies. Seasonal allergic rhinitis, known as Hay Fever, is the most common type of allergy and affects nearly 36 million people in the U.S. Most Americans reach for a prescription drug or OTC anti-histamine to stop the incessant runny nose, sneezing and red, burning, watery, itchy eyes that come with Hay Fever. However, new research indicates that allergies may be due to a deficiency of specific bioflavonoids found in certain fruits and vegetables. That’s good news for allergy sufferers because that means that if you correct the deficiency your body may be able to cure the allergies completely.
Allergy Drug Side-effects
Most drugs work by blocking some body function rather than correcting the problem and they all have side effects. The top selling allergy drugs are no exception. They work by blocking histamine, which temporarily relieves the symptoms but also causes headaches, dry mouth, fatigue and drowsiness.
Natural Allergy Treatment
Unlike the drugs that only block histamine or histamine receptors but never cure the problem, nature makes some great tasting foods that actually stop the symptoms by correcting the cause of the allergic hypersensitivity. Mast Cells are the cells of the immune system that release histamine and other allergic chemicals that cause the symptoms of a runny nose, sneezing, tearing, itchy eyes, itchy throat and swelling of the mucous membranes, etc. Special procyanidin bioflavonoids, found in apples, grapes, tomato skins, green tea and onions stabilize hypersensitive Mast Cells and thereby prevent histamine from being released too easily. When you have enough procyanidin bioflavonoids in your cell membranes you don’t need a drug to block the histamine.
Table 1. Procyanidin Content of Selected Foods (Units = mg per 100 grams)
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Source: USDA Database for the Proanthocyanidin (monomers-trimers) Content of Slected Foods 2004
Why You Need Procyanidin Bioflavonoids
When you eat foods rich in procyanidin bioflavonoids they actually get incorporated directly into cell membranes throughout the body, including Mast Cells. When the Mast Cells are healthy they have a thick membrane around them like a thick peel on an orange. However, when the Mast Cells are deficient in bioflavonoids their membranes are very thin. And just like a thin peeled orange that breaks open too easily and squirts its juice all over, a Mast Cell that is deficient in bioflavonoids is so thin that it breaks open much too easily and releases its histamine and other allergic chemicals far too easily.
How to Stop Hay Fever Allergies Fast
To stabilize your Mast Cells and stop them from releasing too much histamine you need to eat procyanidin rich foods every day. It will take several months to correct a procyanidin deficiency by diet alone. However, if you want to stop Hay Fever symptoms fast you can take the formula that I prescribe to my patients. It is called FlavinoxTM and it contains a combination of Leucoselect® grape seed extract, green tea extract, quercitin from onion skins and vitamin C. Leucoselect® grape seed extract is sold as a prescription drug in France and Germany, but is available without a prescription in FlavinoxTM.
I have seen many patients who come to my office in the Spring carrying a box of Kleenex and their Claritin or Zyrtec who are still sneezing incessantly, and unable to see out of their watery red eyes and unable to think due to Hay Fever congestion. Some are skeptical to learn that their allergies are due to a deficiency of bioflavonoids, but they are quickly convinced when their Hay Fever symptoms clear up within 30 minutes after taking their first dose of FlavinoxTM.
Missy Gilliland, a Phoenix horse trainer who has her own Dressage Training Stable, is a perfect example. She spends most of her time outdoors every Spring riding horses and giving lessons. Her allergies are horrific when the dust, the wind and the pollen combine. She has tried all of the anti-allergy drugs and they just don’t stop the itching, burning and watery eyes. At times her allergies are so bad that she can barely see or think. But within 15 minutes of taking her first dose of FlavinoxTM she called to tell me that her Hay Fever symptoms had completely disappeared and she could see and think clearly again. She says FlavinoxTM is fantastic.
For more information about FlavinoxTM, the fast acting natural alternative to Claritin and Zyrtec®, click here.