Spring time brings colors, warmth —and allergies. Last year, however, I found out by chance (and gluttony) that ginger is better than Claritin for me. I would rinse my eyes and nose a couple of times a day and use this saline solution to spray my nose before going to bed (as I am use to do during allergy seasons), and I was eating tons of these Ginger Chews that I buy at Trader Joe’s and other ginger-based products, just because I love them (a huge change in my life, since ten years ago I could not stand ginger). I noticed I had very little discomfort related to allergies throughout the season, even though I was not taking any pills (I don’t like pills, in general). One day I guessed ginger was helping with the allergies; I had probably heard somewhere something about it. But I didn’t have any proof of it, and didn’t look for one.

This year I started with the rinsing and spraying before bed, but the allergies were bothering me. Until I recalled my conclusion from last year. “I need ginger”, I thought. So, I went to get some Ginger Chews and other ginger things. A week (and about a pound of ginger chews) later, my allergies are under control. A couple of ginger chews after each meal, and before or after a workout, work wonders with my allergy problems. Ginger rocks!

And today I found out that cigarettes may help with allergies, too:

Can Cigarettes *Decrease* the Effect of Respiratory Allergies?

I don’t smoke (I did for a few years, long time ago, but I quit), and I don’t plan to start smoking. So this is not an option for me. But if you like tobacco better than ginger, here you have an option to skip the Claritin this season —just make sure you have insurance to pay for your cancer treatment a few years from now.