If you’re one of the 22 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies, you may dread spring. Want to avoid antihistamines and nasal sprays or holing up in a hermetically sealed room? Try these options.

  • Modify your diet. Doctors advise minimizing allergic reactions by limiting meat and dairy while adding fruits and veggies. Also add foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids—cold-water fish, walnuts and flaxseed oil.
  • Try nature-based products to treat allergies. Research has shown that herbal supplements, such as butterbur, goldenseal, stinging nettle and quercetin, may boast allergy-fighting benefits.
  • Rinse your nasal passages. Modern science backs up the ancient practice of using a salt water solution (via a neti pot or squeeze bottle) to flush the sinuses of allergens.