CLEANING UP

• Ensure your home and work environment gets plenty of fresh air circulation and sunlight. Keep a clean house and minimize exposure to dust, mold, pet dander, and dust mites. Do not live in a dark or damp environment, such as a home that has mold or no sunlight. It’s best not to have pets other than fish for now, at least until allergies are under control or resolved. If you suspect dust mites, there is information on the internet on how to control them.
• Limit your exposure to chemicals (including those used for cleaning), pollution, and strong smells in general.
• Limit perfumes or toiletries with fragrances until you are allergy-free. In fact, limit them even after you are allergies are gone! Commercial fragrances can affect the liver and hormones in negative ways, so it’s best to use mild, none at all, or all-natural alternatives like essential oils. Once in a while, you will be around people who wear strong fragrances. This is usually OK but limit your exposure if you are highly sensitive.
• Use a natural or biodegradable laundry detergent, and always use less than what is recommended.
• Do not smoke. It will be very difficult to heal your allergies if you smoke. If possible, do not live in a home where someone smokes, or where someone smoked in the past for many years. If you must live, spend plenty of time outdoors and bring fresh air into the home as much as possible. Do not buy a used car or furniture from someone who smoked.New research shows that third-hand smoke (the smoke that is in the walls and materials of a house or car) is much worse than second-hand smoke.

EXERCISE AND QI CULTIVATION

Exercise regularly. Exercise increases circulation, stamina, immune function, adaptability, cleanses the lymph nodes and blood, detoxifies the body, and moves blocked emotions. Do our daily routine, practice yoga in your living room with good teachers on YouTube, or join a high-energy group workout – whatever works for you.

If you want to expand the benefit of your exercise, you can use it to infuse qi into other areas of your life. Before you practice or exercise, set an intention in your mind or dedicate the practice to something or someone. Here are examples of messages you can use to start your exercise:

• I dedicate this practice to my beautiful, healthy, graceful body and spirit, and I ask for guidance in regard to these allergies so I can best support my body.
• I dedicate this bike ride to this beautiful planet earth, who ceaselessly gives us grounding, food, community, water, inspiration, life.
• Let this workout send joyful, harmonious, loving energy to tomorrow’s family gathering so we can all be warmed and rejuvenated by our family connection.
• My intention for this run is to get clarity on this big decision I need to make this month.

This practice of intention setting is a form of qi cultivation and is much cleaner and more refined and efficient in promoting positive outcomes than worrying. In addition to energizing your dreams, this practice helps clarify where your energy is in the present moment because you are checking in with what is important to you each day. This clarity of consciousness keeps you in touch with what has heart and meaning to you – one of our main guidance pointers that can direct our paths in life. Whenever we aren’t sure of the right decision, we follow the path that has heart and meaning.

ATTITUDE AND STRESS

Your body and soul are subject to your attitude all day, every day – so keep your attitude positive! Keep an open mind and harmonize yourself with life itself. Accept that sometimes things get out of control and out of balance and that this is part of life. Do not resist life and what it presents. Do not hate your allergies (you can hate them, but in the same moment, accept them in the present moment and ask for guidance on the best measures to take to support your body). You’ll be surprised by the huge difference a subtle change in thought can make.

Stress is a key factor in most health concerns, including allergies. The reason for this is that too much stress impairs liver function, weakens the immune, adrenal, and nervous systems, and throws off our delicate hormone balance, including thyroid, female and male reproductive hormones. All of these systems directly affect the severity and frequency of allergic responses. In addition, too much stress puts pressure on the vascular system, causing inability of mucous and lymph to clear from sinus cavities and lymphatic tissue, resulting in sinus pain and persistent congestion.

SLEEP

One of the most important parts of your recovery from allergies or control of symptoms is sufficient restful sleep. Ideally, this sleep is during the night, starting sometime between the hours of 9-10 pm and waking between 6-7 am.

Sleeping at night is when the body does everything it needs to do to be balanced, healthy, and strong. It is easy to take for granted the importance of sleep and the body’s ability to constantly heal and build. During this time, body grows hair, builds blood, bones, hormones, sorts out emotional confusion, heals wounds, detoxifies allergens, alcohol, negativity, and on and on. If you want to reduce allergies, this is the freebie, so make sure you get enough.

For people who have long or intense days, a short break is also very beneficial. Laying down and resting the body and mind for 15-30 minutes rather than plowing through until bedtime takes a huge load off the body, allowing the body’s energy to be spent more efficiently on recovering from allergies.