By Angela Rightout , published May 6, 2019

Spring

When the weather begins to break, people-especially those in colder regions, often feel relief and rejuvenation. The longer days, weather warm-up and upcoming outdoor activities are enough to make anyone excited after a long cold winter. But accompanying this excitement also lies spring allergies. Being ready for these ailments can help you start the season off healthy. Read on to learn about spring allergies and illnesses and how you can prepare for them. Plus discover the best spring foods to eat throughout the season.

Springtime Ailments and Prevention Methods

Spring Allergies

Bushes, flowers and newly budding trees release pollen in the air to fertilize other plants. But the immune system views pollen as a threat. Your immune system tries to protect you from the pollen by unleashing antibodies to attack the allergens. In return, a chemical called histamines releases into your blood. These histamines trigger your runny nose, itchy eyes and other allergy symptoms. Depending on your region, some springtime allergies can begin as early as February. Also because pollen travels for miles, your neighborhood pollen is not the only threat.  Even more so, rainy days which are common in April and May can promote mold growth. This leads to current and future allergy symptoms that can last for months and well into the summer.

Tip: You can follow pollen counts through local weather forecasts and seek your physician to start allergy medication two weeks before symptoms are expected to start.

Asthma

Not unlike seasonal allergies, asthma may flare up in spring as well. Pollen, changing air temperatures and yard fertilizers are all common triggers for asthma. Even insect repellent can trigger asthma. Even more so, you can’t forget the indoor triggers. Indoor triggers include dust, mold and chemicals used to clean your home. With all these disadvantages it may seem almost impossible to avoid an asthma attack.

Tips: Take a trip to your primary physician to make sure everything is in order and always have your emergency inhaler ready to go. Try to clean with all natural products. The all natural products may lessen the threat that strong chemicals have on asthma. This works in your favor in two ways as it can also provide you with a home with less dust.

The Common Cold

The cold is not just a wintertime ailment. It’s quite common for rhinovirus infections--which causes about 50 percent of colds, to happen during the springtime. In fact, fall and spring are peak times for this infection. The temperature fluctuations and wind which are common during seasonal changes may annoy the nasal passages. It can also inhibit airways. In return, it compromises your immune system’s ability to fight off the rhinovirus infection.

Tip: It’s important to always wash your hands often throughout the day and avoid hand, nose, eye and mouth touching.

Conjunctivitis

This condition also thrives during the spring. It is however often confused with allergy symptoms. But, conjunctivitis may be bacterial, viral or even allergic. Bacterial and Viral conjunctivitis is contagious. This is known as “pink eye,” often spread among children.

Tips: To prevent viral conjunctivitis regular hand washing and avoiding the eyes are vital. Viral conjunctivitis is for symptoms but bacterial conjunctivitis requires antibiotics. Allergic conjunctivitis requires oral and ocular antihistamines. So if this is the case, seek your physician's recommendations.

Lyme Disease

It’s warmer outside! Yay! But it’s important to remember that deer ticks love the warmer weather as well. These ticks also transmit Lyme Disease, a common spring illness.  Deer ticks become active once the temperatures rise to 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tips: To avoid deer ticks try to steer clear of tall vegetation, incorporate tick repellent while outdoors and perform tick checks while you're outside. Ticks can be removed with a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. If a tick has been found and removed, watch out for Lyme disease symptoms like rashes and fevers and seek your physician.

Best Springtime Foods

Eating healthy is an obvious way to keep your body in tip-top shape. But it’s not always easy to know which foods are best for the season. According to an article published in Healthline, these are some of the best spring foods you should incorporate into your springtime meals. This list is not all inclusive but may be a good starting point for someone looking to enhance their diet during the spring.

• Cherries: High in Potassium, and packed with antioxidants

• Asparagus: This is a low carb vegetable and it’s loaded with vitamins, minerals and folate.

• Carrots: Great for a boost in Vitamin A in beta carotene form. It contains B vitamins and vitamin K and potassium.

• Apricots: This fruit has high amounts of vitamin pro-A and contains about 4 percent of your daily value in a mid-size apricot.

• Grapefruit: Contains many antioxidants that are claimed to help fight against chronic conditions.

• Green Garlic: Very low in calories and has rich amounts of vitamin C, B-6 and manganese.

• Leeks: Contains high amounts of vitamin k. They also promote healthy gut bacteria and they are high in flavonoids which promote a healthy response to oxidative stress.

• Lemons: Rich in vitamins C and have loads of potassium and vitamin B-6.

• Peas: Green peas have a multitude of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, They also have high amounts of fiber and protein.

Take Omega 3's from Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil

Many studies have already proven that Omega 3 is optimal for great health. Sea buckthorn seed oil is the ultimate plant-based source for Omegas and the SeaBuckWonders' Seed Oil contains omega 3 and omega 6 in an almost perfect ratio of 1:1. Sea buckthorn seed oil also contains vitamins A and B which have been proven as an important nutritional factor for sping health. Furthermore, omega 3's from SeabuckWonders' sea buckthorn seed oil supports healthy inflammation response which may be beneficial for those suffering from spring allergies. 

The Takeaway

Many people are excited about the onset of spring. But associated with these warmer days are spring allergies and illnesses. But you can prepare by incorporating a few tips like improving your diet, using all natural cleaning products, incorporating omega 3s from sea buckthorn oil and always practicing good hygiene. This may help make your transition into spring and even summer much smoother.