HAAAAAAAAAAAAY... Fever

Growing up, I had the worst pollen allergy of anyone I've ever met. It's amazing how many effective allergy medications have come out within the last decade or so. Over the years, I've tried different treatments, from antihistamines to decongestants to taking it like a man.

This year, I'm going to try to take a more scientific approach to dealing with my body's reactions to plant sperm. I have Claritin and Allegra samples as a backup, but I don't like to depend on drugs for my well-being. Most of them either make me drowsy when I shouldn't sleep or keep me awake when I should sleep. Even if there were some perfect allergy drug that didn't change my sleep cycle, though, I still would want to avoid it, if for no other reason than the possibility of a zombie apocalypse, or the slightly more likely possibility of having no health insurance in a few years.

So I've searched the Web. I've found sources that say foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids help to prevent allergies. That means cold-water fish, eggs, grain-fed meats and dairy products, and some other things I won't eat. I'm up for some salmon from time to time and eating more often at Chipotle, so I'll see how that works out.

Then there's ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. This study shows that a daily dose of 200-500mg is highly effective in most cases. That's a lot to get from natural sources. Oranges, known for their high vitamin C content, typically contain 50mg vitamin C per 100g. So, in order to get 500mg per day, I would have to eat a kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of oranges or drink the equivalent in orange juice. I want to see if I can get my hands on some guavas, which are twice as vitamin C dense as oranges. If I experience sufficient relief at the 200mg end of the range, I should be fine with one or two guavas per day. We figured out at work that we can order them by the case, so I'm going to try and do that. It's worth mentioning that red peppers, another favorite food of mine, have 190mg/100g, but I typically consume them roasted, and that tends to cause a significant loss of vitamin C. The same is true for broccoli (90mg/100g).

I can't find any information on the subject, but I always feel like, when I get a good, strong workout, my allergies go away. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe it's because my body has to put so much into the task at hand, it doesn't have enough resources left over to produce histamine. Whatever the case, I'm going to try to hit the trails with my bike a lot more.

I apologize if any of you found this boring. My intent is usually to entertain, but sometimes information is more important. Roughly 20% of Americans suffer from hay fever, and I know at least that percentage of my friends and acquaintances do. Many of you may choose the path of medicine, but there's always the danger that it will make you want to kill yourself. Generally, I think that knowing how your body works and making it do what you want through careful manipulation is better than pharmaceuticals. At the very least, I want everyone to know that these options are available.

Happy camping.