If you�ve got severe allergies, immunotherapy�a.k.a. allergy shots�may still be your best bet. Says allergist Neil Kao, MD, of the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville, South Carolina: "It�s the only therapy known to treat the disease process so you can end symptoms for good, not just in the moment."
Scrub the mold
A HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter attachment on your A/C can help remove mold spores and pollen from the air.
Avoid mold altogether by using a dehumidifier; keeping typically wet, humid spots such as bathrooms and the basement as clean and dry as possible; and getting someone else to rake the leaves this fall.
Let supplements help
When you inhale allergens, they trigger inflammation in your nasal passages. "There�s increasing evidence that vitamin D might reduce that inflammation," says Dr. Kao. He recommends 600 IU of D daily: "It won�t hurt, and it might help."
Probiotics can restore gut bacteria to a healthy balance, minimizing overreactions in the immune system that can lead to allergy symptoms, says Huffnagle, who suggests taking a supplement with three to five billion CFU (colony-forming units) daily.
Eat your treatment
"A Mediterranean diet�s a win-win," Dr. Kao says, since the fruits, vegetables, and nuts the diet is rich in have been shown to protect against symptoms.
So have foods packed with vitamin C (think broccoli, kale, and citrus fruits) and folate(turkey, chicken, lentils, spinach).
Check for food allergies
There are also key foods to avoid. One is alcohol: The bacteria and yeast it contains generally produce histamines, which can worsen allergy woes.
Some allergy sufferers also experience Oral Allergy Syndrome, which is a tingly, itchy feeling in the lips, tongue, and throat after eating certain raw foods. (It�s not deadly but can be uncomfortable.)
If you�re allergic to tree pollen, you might be sensitive to carrots, cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, or walnuts; the ragweed-allergic might react to melons, bananas, strawberries, and cucumbers.
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