It’s that time of year for allergies AND spring cleaning. The ladies discuss what contributes to allergies, tips for dealing with symptoms and insight into how to “clean up” your cleaning supplies for your home! | Full show notes at the theladiesdish.com/ldp71 | Get in touch: theladiesdish@gmail.com
Updates (1:24): Kate’s baby shower is Saturday! If you have name ideas for this little girl…PLEASE SHARE WITH HER!
The “it” List (6:30): This week Dana is sharing something she’s really into….and it’s a song! Cake by Flo Rida
Don't forget…#alwayscake!
And – we also can’t forget that it was just Kate’s Birthday! Happy Birthday to you!
Spring Cleaning: Home & Body Edition (8:34)
Allergies
Allergies are an immune response to something in our environment, typically this time of year to grass or pollen.
The Hygiene Hypothesis suggests that when we try to live in a sterile, “clean” bubble (in a world with anti-bacterial everything), we actually deprive our body’s ability to stimulate the immune system and disrupt development, thus leading to an increase in allergies. Studies have shown that people who grow up on farms or with pets (basically around dirt and other microbes), are actually healthier!
We also know that certain choices we make disrupt out gut microbiome and immune system including antibiotic use, cesarean birth and formula feeding, leading to increased risk of asthma and allergies later in life.
Allergy Remedies (13:00) 1. Neti-Pot Clearing the nasal passages of allergens and irritants, sinus irrigation originated in the Ayurvedic medical tradition and people in India have been receiving astounding results for centuries.
Using a neti pot is effective to prevent and treat several upper respiratory conditions including chronic and acute sinusitis, the common cold and seasonal allergies.
TIP: When you use a Neti pot, make sure that the water is distilled and as sterile as possible. Tap water is full of chlorine and fluoride and can actually aggravate your sinuses.
If you don’t want to use a neti pot you can do a salt water sinus rinse by mixing sea salt with warm water and sucking it up one nostril. Joy also loves the squeeze bottle version of the neti pot – both of which you can find at your local drug store!
2. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar is the best and you can now find it almost everywhere! It’s USDA & Kosher certified organic, GMO-free, unfiltered, raw (not pasteurized!), and contains the amazing “Mother” of vinegar. Drinking a glass of water with a teaspoon of ACV in your water with some fresh lemon juice is the best way to wake up every morning. BONUS: At the first sign of an allergy attack, put 1 teaspoon of ACV in your Neti Pot solution for a fantastic sinus flush.
3. Quercetin Naturally found in cruciferous vegetables, onions/shallots, green teas and citrus fruit, quercetin is a bioflavonoid that stabilizes the release of histamine and helps to naturally control allergy symptoms. Various sources suggest that it is best to use quercetin as a long-term remedy and people prone to seasonal allergies should start to take them a few weeks before spring arrives and plants start to bloom.
4. Local Raw Honey (Bee Pollen) Telling you to eat something like raw honey for seasonal allergies may sound too easy because it is so sweet, but don’t discount this ancient remedy. Taking a tablespoon of local, raw honey every day will help your body build a tolerance to the local pollen that is running amuck on your sinuses. The International Archives of Allergy and Immunology published an article in 2011 that tested how pre-seasonal use of birch pollen honey affected people with birch pollen allergies and discovered that patients taking the honey “reported a 60% lower total symptom score, twice as many asymptomatic days, and 70% fewer days with severe symptoms, and they used 50% less antihistamines compared to the control group” that took conventional meds. We recommend taking 1 tbsp of raw local honey daily.
Don’t miss out on the ONLY time the ladies dish condones consuming a spoonful of sugar!
Allergies & Gut Health (20:50)
Your gut is lined with millions of epithelial cells that are responsible for maintaining a barrier between your gut contents and your bloodstream. In a healthy gut, small nutrients are absorbed, but large dietary proteins are unable to cross this barrier and enter the bloodstream. However, when the intestinal barrier becomes compromised (i.e., “leaky gut” syndrome), these large dietary proteins are able to enter the blood, stimulate an immune response, and produce symptoms characteristic of various allergic diseases
When the gut is out of balance, opportunistic and pathogenic microbes overgrow and take over dominance. These pathogens produce toxic substances which are the by-products of their metabolism. Some of these toxins actually play an important role in the body when the pathogens in the gut are controlled and kept in check by good flora. But, when the good flora is absent or not playing a dominant role, these pathogens can overproduce these toxins.
Home Cleaning Hacks (23:08)
Joy cleans her home mostly with: WHITE VINEGAR AND WATER; 1:1 ratio in a spray bottle for surface cleaner, window cleaner, toilet, shower, etc… PLUS baking soda for surfaces like the tub, toilet and sinks that need more scrubbing action. It’ll take a little bit of elbow grease but if you’re consistent in cleaning on a regular basis, it’s actually quite easy to keep everything shiny and bright!
Remember the smell of vinegar will dissipate after it dries. And eventually you’ll get that similar “clean” and “fresh” feeling/trigger in your brain when you smell vinegar vs. those chemical cleaners like bleach and PineSol.
Tip: you can add in some essential oils to make it smell better (like lemongrass).
Laundry: 1. Detergent: soap nuts or soap berries (check out Eco Nuts) 2. Wool dryer balls (check out Woolies)
Bedding: Purchase a mattress cover and hypoallergenic pillow case
TIPS: 1. Make sure to wash all your sheets/pillowcases in hot water. 2. Put your pillows in the dryer – on a weekly basis! Tumble on high heat for 30 minutes to kill dust mites
Air freshener: 1. Essential oils on a tissue or in diffuser 2. House plants – check out this page from a NASA study about which plants help filter which chemicals! The chart tells you which plants are toxic to cats and dogs which is super helpful! 3. Baking soda in a bowl in the fridge
Not a DIY-er? No problem! Try Branch Basics or doTERRA OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate – both are concentrates that come with instructions on how to make cleaners for different jobs – using just the one product!
Thank you for joining us this week for Episode 71. Remember to subscribe in iTunes so you don’t miss a future episode!
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