Go Ad-Free
logoThe People's Perspective on Medicine

Will You Breathe Better by Cutting Out Dairy?

One reader found a way to greatly improve hay fever symptoms: cutting out dairy. Would this work against your sniffles and sneezes?

Allergy sufferers know frustration. The difficulties of just trying breathe through the nose during hay fever season are significant. That’s without counting other allergy symptoms such as trying to navigate the world when you feel like you’re swimming in molasses. Post-nasal drip is also a big problem for many people with allergies. Could the simple but drastic measure of cutting out dairy help ease their suffering?

Reader Reports Results from Cutting Out Dairy:

Q. For years I suffered from sinusitis and hay fever. It started with seasonal allergies when I was 38. Then I had summer colds and eventually all-year-long sniffling. I used to joke that I had snot dripping off my elbows.

It became intolerable. I was eating lots of dairy, especially milk and cheese. When I read about the dairy connection, I immediately cut it out of my diet.

Magically, my allergies abated. Gradually I learned that some baked goods (containing milk) also caused a flare-up, so off with them! Now I take no OTC allergy pills. The antihistamine cetirizine caused crazy brain fog that also cleared up.

Now if I wake with an itchy throat or a bit of stuffiness, which is rare, I take stinging nettle and a quercetin supplement for immediate relief.

Food and Pollen Allergies Linked:

A. Allergies of various sorts tend to be connected (Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Nov. 2018). Consequently, people with food allergies often have hay fever as well. They may even have eczema or asthma. However, the link between dairy consumption and nasal congestion remains controversial. Despite a dearth of research to support this specific association, many readers share your perspective. Cutting out dairy seems like a low-risk approach.

Quercetin and Stinging Nettle for Hay Fever:

Quercetin is a natural compound derived from plants. It stabilizes mast cells that release histamine and has anti-inflammatory activity (Inflammation & Allergy Drug Targets, Sept. 2010).  Many people with seasonal allergies find it helpful. In addition, researchers using sophisticated techniques have discovered exactly how it blocks inflammation (International Journal of Molecular Science, June 17, 2019).

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) also has scientific support against allergies (Phytotherapy Research, July, 2009).  Unfortunately, allergists have not conducted clinical trials on this herbal medicine.

Rate this article
star-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-empty
4.2- 103 ratings
About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
Tired of the ads on our website?

Now you can browse our website completely ad-free for just $5 / month. Stay up to date on breaking health news and support our work without the distraction of advertisements.

Browse our website ad-free
Citations
Join over 150,000 Subscribers at The People's Pharmacy

We're empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options.