Zak Wood / Colorado Daily

Rebecca Luna, owner of Rebecca's Herbal Apothecary, pours ginger onto a scale.

Achoo!

Lately, sage has been high. Grass, ragweed, tumbleweed and molds are moderate. And pine's a bit low, according to Boulder Asthma and Allergy Clinics P.C.

If you suffer from allergies, chances are you already know this.

Bad news. Those over-the-counter allergy medications could end up worsening the symptoms over time.

Karen Falbo, the nutritional program coordinator for Vitamin Cottage's 27 stores, says the medicine is just suppressing immune substances in the body, not allowing it to have a normal reaction.

"Pharmecuetical medications are more suppressive by nature, versus many herbal or natural remedies," Falbo says. "In fact, most people will actually get worse . . . because it doesn't fix the problem."

Good news. Instead, Falbo says the best bet is going with natural, homeopathic, herbal therapies and enzymes to actually treat the symptoms -- not just cover them up.

"A homeopathic remedy has the potential to reduce (allergies) over the long term," Falbo says.

But there's a big but. In addition to natural remedies, a good diet and proper functioning organs and glands may be the most important factor.

What does this all have to do with sneezing?

"Whenever we have allergy symptoms, we're actually dealing with inflammation," Falbo says. "There's mucous membrane inflammation, sinus inflammation, respiratory inflammation."

This inflammation leads to a greater level of allergies, Falbo says.

How does the inflammation occur? Diet is a big one.

"A poor functioning digestive system leads to increased allergenic symptoms," Falbo says.

This means eat your veggies. Lots of veggies and fruits, she says. Also incorporating whole foods such as whole grains, beans and legumes into the diet is important. She also says stay away from high-processed foods like sugars and refined flours, but do eat quality proteins.

"Research is now showing that sugar and refined flours increase Nuclear Factor-Kappa Beta -- a transcription factor that promotes the activity of genes that increase inflammation," Falbo says.

Another cause is a poor functioning liver, which is involved in detoxifying certain toxins in the body, many which are caused by allergenic substances, Falbo says.

And finally, poor functioning adrenal glands -- the glands in the body that respond to stress -- can contribute to allergies. These glands produce cortisol, which Falbo says is our primary anti-inflammatory hormone.

"If they're overstressed and overworked, the body can't respond to normal inflammation," she says.

She recommends avoiding alcohol and too much caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative to coffee because of its antioxidants, she says.

"That's why it's important to avoid some of these things to allow the body to have a healthier response to whatever allergenic substance it's been exposed to," Falbo says

But, remember -- every single body is different. Falbo says there is no "one-size-fits-all" remedy.

Rebecca Luna, owner of Rebecca's Herbal Apothecary downtown Boulder, agrees.

"Every single body is different," Luna says. "Sometimes it's trial and error," Luna says.

Luna says she prefers going natural as opposed to pharmaceutical.

"I think that's the way to go -- see if you can go natural first," she says. "And you know, that's a personal thing. But I always say if you can go natural first, do. But I also say don't get locked in. Do what gives you relief."

Luna's two basic natural allergy remedies consist of drinking nettles tea on a regular basis and eating a teaspoonful of honey a day.

Falbo also agrees that the stinging nettles help reduce the body's overreactivity to certain allergenic substances.

For the honey, Luna says it is important to make sure it is local honey. Local bees go to local plants and create the honey. Think of it as a tolerance-building remedy.

Both of these remedies, however, need to be built up far before allergy season hits, Luna says.

In addition to various botanical medicines, oils, waxes, herbs and powders, Rebecca's Herbal Apothecary sells premade allergy formulas, many of which contain nettles.

"Our most popular is from WishGarden, a local company, called 'Allergy Relief,'" Luna says. "We sell this the most for allergies -- and have received really great feedback along with many return customers for it."

Another suggestion Luna has is a neti pot.

"It is something that is really basic and really right on," Luna says. "I like the idea of it because it is such a physical thing. You have pollen in your nose, wash it out. You don't even need an herb for that. It's like here's the problem, here's the solution."

So whether it's sage, cats, pollen, dogs or pine, Luna and Falbo both agree that the important thing to remember is to build and maintain a healthy immune system.