The Conscious Shopper: natural remedies

It's a typical summer evening. You've settled into your usual spot on the porch swing, swaying gently in rhythm to the chirping of the crickets. The kids are laughing as they chase fireflies across the lawn, and a cool breeze carries the charcoal-laced scent of your neighbor's barbecue into your yard. The evening is perfect.

Except - swat! - for those dang - slap! - mosquitoes!!!

At the first sighting of those pesky insects, you probably reached for the bug spray. But if you have children, you might want to pause and reconsider.

The main questionable ingredient in commercial insect repellents is DEET, a pesticide that has been associated with headaches, insomnia, disorientation, and mood swings. As with any toxic chemical, the risk of side effects increases in children and with overuse. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics states that DEET is safe to use in children over two months old, you should still take proper precautions when using bug spray. Plus, there are enough alternative options that you might decide to avoid DEET completely.

BABY STEPS

Use clothing as a barrier. If you know you're going to be in an area where ticks and other pesky insects are going to be a problem, wear a hat and long pants, and tuck your pants into your socks. There also seems to be some evidence that mosquitoes are more attracted to darker clothing.

Do the daily tick check - especially if you've been playing in a grassy or wooded area or have pets.

Avoid places and times when bugs are worst. Ticks hang out in grass, trees, and shrubs. Mosquitoes like stagnant water and are most prevalent at dusk. The peak season for blackflies is spring and early summer.

Avoid applying bug spray to your children's hands since they are very likely to put their hands in their mouths. Also avoid applying DEET around food.

JOGGING STRIDE

Choose a product that contains a lower percentage of DEET. According to Healthy Child, Healthy World, concentrations below 10 percent are best for children.

Avoid applying DEET more than once a day and apply sparingly. Reapplying too frequently can lead to overexposure. Also consider using a lotion instead of a spray to avoid inhaling the repellent.

Try a DEET-free insect repellent. These alternative products generally rely on essential oils to repel pests and can be found at natural foods stores. The downside seems to be that they don't last as long, but persistent reapplication may be worth the trouble if it means avoiding a toxic chemical.

Light a citronella candle. Citronella, which is the essential oil of lemon balm, has been proven to repel mosquitoes.

MARATHON RUNNER

Make your own insect repellent with this recipe from Care2 using essential oils and vegetable oil. The most common essential oil to repel mosquitoes is citronella (lemon balm). My mom grows lemon balm in her herb garden and has even experimented with rubbing the leaves directly onto her skin. The jury's out on whether or not this works.

Use a few drops of a repellent essential oil in the rinse water of your laundry.

Put a drop of a repellent essential oil once a week on your pets' collars. More than that can irritate your pets.

Chose plants for your yard that have bug repellent properties such as lemon balm and lavendar.

Tips for the Budget-Conscious

If you're looking for a more natural insect repellent, making your own is probably the cheapest strategy. If you choose to use a product containing DEET for budget reasons, be sure to use proper precautions: use sparingly, avoid applying on hands, avoid cuts and open wounds, and keep away from food.

Where I'm At

I've been buying a product from Whole Foods called Buzz Away. It works fine (and I like that it comes in a metal container rather than plastic), but it has to be reapplied every two hours or so. I've thought about trying to make my own, but so far, laziness has won the battle with frugality.

Photo by tanakawho

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I've had seasonal allergies since my family moved to Kentucky when I was a teenager, but since we moved to North Carolina, my allergies have been out of control.

Case in point: One day, I was driving my family through downtown Raleigh when my eye started itching uncontrollably. I was trying to drive with one eye and ended up turning the wrong way down a one way street. Luckily, I realized what I'd done immediately and no cars were coming, so I swung into the first parking lot and demanded that my husband take over the driving.

When your eyes are so itchy and watery and red that it's making you a hazard, it's definitely time to find a solution.

I had tried a few types of over-the-counter allergy meds with no success. They took care of the nose issues, but my eyes still itched like crazy. So I tried eye drops, but frankly, I am no good at putting things in my eyes. I figured I would have to head to the doctor for a prescription.

Or would I?

While catching up on my blog reading one day, I came across this post from Pays to Live Green about an alternative method for dealing with allergies: the neti pot.

A neti pot looks like an oblong tea pot. You fill the pot with a salt water solution, lean your head sideways over a sink, stick the spout of the pot up your nose, and pour. The salt water travels up one nostril and out the other, flushing all the nasties out of your nasal passages.

I was intrigued by the neti pot mainly because of the cost - only $20. A trip to the doctor would cost a co-pay plus the price of prescription drugs and drug refills. A one time cost of $20 sounded much more appealing.

Plus, a product that I could buy once and use over and over would produce less waste than the weekly packages of Claritin I was going through. And solving my allergy problem would mean I could stop using so much toilet paper to blow my nose.

Since I was heading down the path of alternative medicine, I decided to research other non-drug related ways to beat allergies. Here's what I found:

Prevention

Avoid the trigger. This is pretty obvious, but if you know you're allergic to cats, stay away from cats. If you know you're allergic to grass, don't mow the lawn. Etc.
Keep yourself and your pets clean. Shower daily and bathe your pets often.
Wear glasses or sunglasses outdoors to keep particles that might trigger an allergy attack out of your eyes.
Close your windows, especially on high pollen days.
Opt for bare floors. Dust and other allergens accumulate in carpet. If you have carpet and have no plans to replace it, at least vacuum often with a quality vacuum.
Use a dehumidifier. Allergens love a humid environment.
Avoid heavy house and yard work, but keep your house and linens clean (maybe play the pity card on your roommates or spouse).

Treatment

Try a Neti pot. See above explanation.
Drink herbal tea. Peppermint works well as a decongestant. Nettle tea reduces hay fever symptoms - you can also take nettle in capsule form. Eyebright is another herb I've read good things about, but I haven't been able to find it around here.
Take a shower to wash off any pollen or other allergens that might have settled on your hair and body. The steam from a hot shower can also sooth irritated sinuses.
Eat wasabi. This fiery condiment can make your nose drip and your eyes water, flushing out the sinuses. If you don't have wasabi, try any spicy food.

Another great resource for fighting allergies is the article "How to Allergy-Proof Your Home" at HowStuffWorks.

Where I'm At

I've been using a neti pot for a couple weeks now, and it's working great. I don't know if it's because it makes my eyes water a bit or if my eye cavities are connected somehow to my nasal cavities, but running saltwater through my nose has solved my itchy eye problem as long as I do it as soon as my eyes start itching. I've read that you can use the neti pot up to four times a day, though once or twice is probably best.

The only downside is that using the neti pot is disgusting and messy, definitely something you want to do in privacy. So if you're struck by a nasty allergy attack at work, you're still more likely to reach for some drugs than to head to the community bathroom to flush out your nasal passages.

Image by brookenovak

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