About 12 years ago I developed an allergy on oranges and grapefruit. I loved them so much and ate so many of them, that my body just said: “that’s enough”. And I started to get allergic reactions in the form of a rash, itching, and hives. Every single time I ate a small piece of them! Interestingly, I can still consume lemons though. For whatever reason, my body does not react the same as to oranges or grapefruit.
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I was told that this allergy might go away by itself. But it never did. On the contrary, it was getting just worse and worse by the year. Little by little I could not use any products that contained any of these citrus fruits. And it came the time when I could not even be in the same room where they cut the orange. Right away my skin would be covered in rash.
I went to the allergy testing, but they said I had a very slight allergic reaction to citrus. Which strongly surprised me. So I just kept living my life, skipping my favorite oranges and grapefruits from the menu, and being careful with the cosmetic products I buy.
Allergy from All Natural Products
Many of you know, that I am a vegan. But I have not always been one (you can read here How I became a vegan). So ones you become a vegan, you sincerely cannot buy products containing anything that comes from animals, put aside the cruelty-free factor.
Little by little, I switched most of my beauty products to vegan. And was extremely happy about that. BUT! One thing I did not realize is that most of all natural, vegan products contain something from orange or grapefruit. And that’s where the problem started.
One morning I woke up sneezing, non-stop, with running nose and red eyes. I used my n
The day passed by fine without any signs of the allergy. But the very next morning, I woke up with the exact same condition. And the next morning, and many mornings after for the next three months. Every day the allergy was just getting worse.
I started to look for alternative solutions: essential oils, acupuncture, salt rooms… Nothing was helping. My condition was getting worse by day. I started to develop a cough, cloudy head, clogged ears and rush all over my body.
Something was making me sick. Really sick. I thought already every possible thing: my dogs, my diet (who knows, maybe I didn’t have enough nutrients after I became a vegan), pollen, dust, other people. Haha, yes. I even thought other people gave me allergy. In terms, when they were coming to my house, I thought they wore something I was allergic to.
Can Allergy Cause Enlarged Lymph Nodes?
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and all information provided here is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. It’s a personal opinion, and it shouldn’t be taken as health/medical/legal advice.
Well, my body was screaming for help. I felt sick every day. I even notice enlarged lymph nodes and sicked a doctor’s advice. But later I discovered that my hair product contained ingr
So I obviously changed my hair product, but the residue that built up on my hair was not coming out. I kept getting symptoms once a while. And this was happening until I found MONAT. OMG! Only after ONE SINGLE wash, my allergy symptoms were gone. NO KIDDING! As if they never existed. What a relief that was! I could not help myself but jump from joy and become a strong believer in their product! I promise, more about this company in my next article 🙂
But let’s go back to the lymph nodes, though. Although the allergy symptoms were gone, my lymph nodes were still clogged and enlarged. I really did not like them this way, so I started to look for ways to help them clear up and get back to normal functioning.
IMPORTANT! If you located enlarged lymph nodes, contact your physician at the earliest. Enlarged lymph nodes may be an indication of something else going on in your body.
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After some research, that’s what I did to clear up my lymphatic system:
- GET RID OF THE ALLERGEN. If you know what’s causing your allergy symptoms, eliminate that product from your life if possible. That might be obvious, but sometimes you don’t realize that the products that are causing the allergy can hide in daily items you use. So check all the products that are in your house, your beauty/cosmetics, and the foods in your fridge and pantry. Also, things like red wine can exaggerate the symptoms. So you want to stop using it as well. At least while the symptoms are present.
- WASH YOUR HAIR DAILY to remove the allergens. Our hair prone to collect all the allergens from outside, so you want to wash them often. And the best product to do this job is from MONAT. Their product not only going to help get rid of allergens but will solve 99% of any hair issues. They are all natural, vegan, and cruelty-free. After using it, you will truly have the best hair ever, without any allergy symptoms. So worth the investment!
- USE NETI POT to clear up the nose and sinuses from the allergens
- WATER. Since I became a vegan I noticed that my body does not require so much water. So I really have to count my water glasses to make sure I drink enough. I ramped up my water intake up to 10 glasses a day, this is not including other dinks that I include in my daily routine. You can read all about them here.
- USE DRY BRUSHING daily to clear up the lymphatic system. I do it right before taking a shower. It keeps the lymphatic system moving and leaves your skin super soft and clear. I will offer the article about dry brushing soon.
- CASTOR OIL PACKS to detoxify the body. You will need Castor Oil and Cotton Flannel and couple more things that most possible you already have at home. I found a great article online about castor oil packs and how to use it. You can read it here.
- THREE-LOBE BEGGARTICKS HERBAL TEA. It not only relieves the allergy symptoms instantly but when consumed for several days, getting rid of the allergen from the body
- ECHINACEA. It has antimicrobial properties and helps to remove toxins from the body and strengthen your immune system. It is also great in the cold season to prevent cold and flu.
- MOVE. The best way to clean your lymphatic system is to move. Walk, run, jump, dance. Do whatever makes you happy. Just make sure it involves the movement 🙂 And possibly do it indoors, so allergens from outside don’t make things worse.
- GO TO SAUNA OR STEAM ROOM. They both help to detoxify the body and skin.
- WASH THE SHEETS OFTEN. I wash mine twice a week. But once a week is usually sufficient.
- OATMEAL BATH. To relieve the allergy symptoms from the skin, do an oatmeal bath by placing the uncooked oatmeal in the sock, securely placing it on the facet and let the water run through it while filling up the bathtub. You can add essential oils like lavender, sandalwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, and/or tea tree oil. Enjoy the bath for 15-20 min.
Conclusion
Allergy can be very annoying. Getting rid of it is even harder. First, using illumination method try to find out what are you allergic to and get rid of that allergen from your life. Then clear up your lymphatic system. Talk to your doctor for advise about relieving the symptoms and especially if you notice anything unusual going on in your body.
Stay Happy and Healthy!
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OMG, I need this! Every year I have to argue with people that 1) it’s not the flu, it’s allergies and 2) It’s NOT freakin’ contagious!
I love cleaning the lymph system. After some dental work, my neck was clogged. People have no idea how important this is.
So true. Not many know about this. That’s why I wanted to share this. I hope it helps many people!
Neti Pot yes! I never thought of how my hair collects allergens. thanks for that info
of course, happy to share!
Two Words… Sinus Rinse. This has been a life saver for me. I would be downright miserable without it! These are some other great tips. Thanks for sharing.
Good timing for allergy season!
Thanks for the tips! ‘Tis the season around here for sure!
Great post and isn’t it wild and crazy how fearfully and wonderfully our bodies are made and how we each react differently to varying factors? So happy for you you found the root cause and the way to get rid of it. Blessings and hugs!
Thanks for sharing, my car is currently covered in pollen so this might come in handy 😀
Really great information! My allergies have only gotten worse as I have gotten older. I have to stay on medication throughout the year to help combat. I will definitely try some of your suggestions!
Anna, this is such a great post! I know there are a ton of different allergies out there but I honestly had no idea about oranges and grapefruit causing issues, it must have been miserable for you. All of your tips are so helpful, I use my Navage every day and it helps bunches too (kind of an auto neti pot) looks weird works wonders! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Angela! Happy that this information can help. And yea… having this type of an allergy is no fun but manageable when you are careful.
Loved this post! I’m an allergic person, too, so this info is really useful for me! Thanks so much!
Great advice and great tips. I just heard today that more people are getting late in life allergies, so it’s nice to have some strategies to alleviate them.
Great tips and suggestions. I have no allergies right now but it doesn’t mean they won’t crop up over time! Thanks!
Luckily the only allergy I have is to antibiotics. I had never taken them before and got sick last year so I got a prescription. 10 days of head to toe hives, even on the palms of my hands and scalp. My doctor recommended several of the things from your post.
Great to hear that doctors offer alternative solutions! Thank you for sharing your experience!
I did not know that washing your hair regularly helped clear out allergies. Although i suppose it’s obvious to some lol I didn’t connect the two 🙂 Also – I have been wondering for YEARS how to run an oatmeal bath. Thanks for that tidbit 🙂
of course! Happy that you could find something useful for yourself
Thanks for this post! I have had A lot of allergy stuff going on and need to start focusing on managing it or better yet getting rid of it!
These are all awesome suggestions! My son, when he was younger, did the whole allergy shots for about 5 years and he got much better. However, there are always things in the air that can pop up and trigger it. Not as severe as before, but symptoms can come back.
Great tips! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I never experienced allergies until recently. I would be lost without my neti pot! I also begin taking our farms honey (I’m not vegan) along with stinging nettle tincture around the end of Jan beginning of February to help alleviate mine. You suggested some great tips!
What an interesting journey to find the source of your allergens!!! And how awesome that you solved it. My daughter recently started having allergies to various things at age 18. We will have to look deeper into the cause.
Wow, I wish I was as diligent as you are about washing sheets! I usually get hit with allergies in early spring, then am fine for the rest of the year. This is great advice, and maybe if I try to keep my sheets clean in early spring it’ll set me us with a habit that will last the rest of the year! Also, have you tried nettles? A woman was just talking about nettle tea for allergies on our camping trip.
I did not know about nettle tea. Thanks for sharing!
My dad is an ENT and I blog for him on a regular basis – one of our latest blog posts was about preventing or reducing allergic reactions! While it was for pollen, I really see some of the similarities! Especially washing the hair – we recommended taking a shower as soon as you get home from the day, since you are out in the world collecting the allergens. If you shower when you get home and immediately put your clothes in the hamper, you won’t track them throughout your home as much.
Great tips!!
Amazing! I needed this! Thank yoU!!!
Wow! What a journey. I had severe seasonal allergies as a kid. SO miserable. And back then, Benadryl was the medication of choice, so I was either miserable with allergies or miserable with a fog of the drug. Ugh! Since I moved to Seattle, all is well, except each year, an allergic reaction happens when the cottonwood trees seed out. Worse each year. Boo!
Great tips and info! Never know when those little allergens will cause trouble!
I never really thought about allergins in my hair. These are great tips on finding and preventing what allergies might be affecting you!
Hi you have a user friendly site It was very easy to post good job
Good tips. What a bummer that you developed an allergy to foods that you enjoyed!
Thanks for a great article and in perfect timing. Allergies are no joke!
Very interesting post. I had severe spring allergies that all completely went away when I stopped eating sugar over 6 years ago.
Interesting. I don’t consume sugar in any form other than fruits and some maple syrup. But I still developed allergies 🙁
It sounds like you were miserable! Glad you found relief!
I’m so glad you discovered the source of your allergic reaction and healed! I’m looking forward to your post on dry brushing. That’s something I haven’t tried.
I’m going to have to try a few things on this list…I have terrible seasonal allergies hitting me right now!
Glad you have found things that help you feel better. As the mother of a child who has severe food allergies, we know the struggle of finding the allergens, eliminating them and avoiding them at all costs once the body is cleared. It’s a labor of love, but worth every second.
I always get my allergy around Fall season and I always think that I’m coming with a cold. I found ways at home to help my allergies (e.g. cleaning my sheets, oatmeal bath, floors were changed from carpet to hardwood, all natural cleaning ingredients and some steamer).
Thanks for this great info. I’m a big proponent for homemade remedies
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