Garlic tablets

I have now added Garlic tablets (1000mg morning and evening) to my daily regimen along with my N acetyl cysteine.

It too is said to be a mucous thinner. I remember having tried it long ago for these purposes and seeing some small improvement but at the time it was negligible due to my not having other preventative factors down.

Now that I have combined this with the other measures and also the N acetyl cysteine I believe it has further reduced the congestion and post nasal drip in my throat throughout the day.

Also, as an aside, a girl I had been seeing had a terrible cough and phlegmy lungs when she came to see me recently. Apprehensive to kiss her I eventually did so reluctantly. A few days later I felt a sore throat coming on but interestingly the only proceeding symptoms were one sore tonsil which continued to give me a sore throat but is now abating. I was otherwise fine whereas she was still greatly congested and hacking up phlegm up to the last time I saw her over a week later.

Of course I cannot say for sure but I would like to attribute this to my daily regimen of supplements. N acetyl cysteine is known as a powerful antioxidant and garlic too is known for it's health benefits. I am guessing also that the mucous thinning properties prevent the infection from sticking in the throat and thus taking root. Just some anecdotal observations but interesting nonetheless.

Lloyds Pharmacy Allergy Reliever Review

I was bought this by my mother around Christmas time and now, as of 19th January 2010, I have been using it for approximately 18 days. The instructions indicate that it may take up to 2 weeks to see effects from this device however given diligent efforts I have seen no noticeable change in my symptoms since using it.

To note, we first bought the device and putting in the 9v battery, once home, it didn't work after trying several times thinking of many different options. When pressing the button no life emitted from the device. We then returned a day or two later to have it replaced with another device which worked fine with the reassuring beep and blue light on the front along with red rudolf lights on the nasal apparatus.

The innocent sales person at the desk ensured that the device is 'clinically proven'. Being a hearty skeptic I took that with a pinch of salt as I am aware that when the funding for said trials are coming from the manufacturer of the product it would soon be 'clinically proven' that smoking has health benefits.

This has been the case with many products claiming to aid my allergy; the most expensive of which was over a year's course of 'allergen immunotherapy' sporting a 90 GBP price tag, every 3 months, for each treatment and as I recall steadily increasing with subsequent doses (I will at some point write a report of this also). It is a sad fact that companies will prey on those who are desperate knowing that they will pay the price just in the hopes of some relief. A one off payment alone of the product (in this case 29.99 GBP) ensures that the manufacturers receive a steady income. Those desperate for a remedy (myself included) will often selectively choose what advice they hear on products as they are just hoping for that one thing which will offer them some aid so take a chance with their fingers crossed. Now it would be an overstatement to say that this product does not work for anyone however I can confidently say that after more than the recommended two week trial period this product has provided me no noticeable relief.

I am going to stick with my herbal/supplemental mixtures as they seem to be the most promising and tangible field of inquiry in terms of some sort of relief currently.

Things that have helped me so far 3

Preventive measures: Dust proof bedding and laminate flooring
These are probably the two most significant aids to reducing my dust mite allergy. I have bought a set of the Cottonfresh bedding and have been living in a fully laminated apartment for over a year now.

The benefits of this should need no explanation. When I used to live with my mother I lived in an old house which was all carpeted so the mites and my allergy were awful. Now I live in an all laminate apartment and with my dust proof bedding things are much better.

Whereas before I was extremely depressed having no idea what the cause of my malady was, now, with these preventive measures I feel I have my condition somewhat under control. I still recommend a combo of the preventive measures and the other techniques I have written about in my previous posts. As I have already stated I have found the best results come from a combo attack of many of these techniques in unison. I recommend trying which ones work best for you and keeping them.

Another note about prevention is being exposed to cigarette smoke. Before the smoking ban came in I used to go to pubs and clubs and it used to cause me the most awful headaches and malaise the next day, not to mention my lungs felt like they had collapsed and the catarrh/post nasal drip produced was off the chart. This could last up to a week from just one visit to a smoke infested environment. I thank all that is good for the smoking ban as it has improved my quality of living by a large margin.

Things that have helped me so far 2

Saline nasal douche
In case you didn't know saline douche means putting running salt water through the nasal cavities to clear them out. Google it to check out a more detailed explanation.

This one I find useful at night right before bed. I specifically recommend it in conjunction with the N acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplements as the NAC allows the mucous to thin and the saline washes it out of there with ease allowing for nice clear nasal passages before you go to sleep. I have tried doing this in the morning but it has led to some embarrassing moments through the day where I will be in a public place and I tilt my head at a certain angle and my nose suddenly starts running with clear liquid (the saline) so I just keep this one to nighttime now.

As I say I won't go into the how-to of it, leaving that to google, but I will say that it is good for clearing out the sinuses with no side effects (except the saline running out at impromptu moments).

I prefer these kind of natural remedies over anti histamines for a couple reasons. Firstly, I have found them more effective but secondly, antihistamines, even though they say they are non drowsy, always give me this dull intoxicated malaise and make me feel really dried out. They also make my sleep worse.

Even though I may sleep on antihistamines I don't get proper REM sleep and most times wake up feeling WORSE than I did before. For some strange reason nearly every time I take antihistamine and go to sleep I have nightmares of suffocating...weird. So yeah, anti histamines are always a last resort for me. I find prevention with a combo of a few of these different natural remedies to be far better than any antihistamine I have taken to treat my dust mite allergy.

Things that have helped me so far

I will be writing several posts of things that have helped me most with my dust mite allergy so far.

I have tried these things in isolation, some with more effect than others, but I have found most benefit when using these things in unison with one another.

N Acetyl cysteine
I have just recently revisited this one and it is one of the best remedys I currently use. This antioxidant acts as a mucous thinner and as such considerably reduces the post nasal drip which I usually suffer from. Usually the post nasal drip is so bad that I will be clearing my throat profusely nearly every minute of the day. The worst thing about this -other than the public embarrassment and constant discomfort- is when it comes to sleeping. The most sleep I would usually get without this is 4 hours of light interrupted sleep. Once I awoke I would be greeted by thick buildup in my chest which would cause me to clear my throat continuously and thus ruining any chance of getting back to sleep.

By taking N acetyl cysteine (600 mg) twice a day (morning and night) the buildup is still produced from my dust allergy however the mucous produced is alot thinner and as such, presumably, it is able to run down my throat more easily and not cause me so much trouble. To my delight I am now often even able to sleep a full 8 hours, with alot of good solid REM sleep, which is a real dream for me having been previously only rationed to 4 hours interrupted sleep on average for the past 9+ years since becoming allergic to dust. So, yes, the mucous is still produced but it is alot more manageable and my congestion is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced thanks to this wonderful supplement.

If bought online it is also relatively cheap as it will last a long time at two a day. I recently bought 250 caps for a little over £20 which works out considerably cheaper than the highstreet prices.

Hope this helps to alleviate some others suffering from the same pesky plight.