5 powerhouse nutrients to tackle allergy season!

If you or someone you know has ever had allergies, you know how miserable life can be! Because of this highly complex defense mechanism that helps us fight infection, your whole bodies immune system is in attack mode. In some cases, the immune system wrongly identifies a nontoxic substance as an invader and our white blood cells overreact thus creating more damage than the actual invader itself! Well, same goes for our poor furry friends.
Here are 5 key powerhouse nutrients you can add to your pets’ diet to help your pet’s immune system combat allergy season:

1. Probiotics. Surprised? It all starts in the gut. Why? About 80% of the immune system is in the gut, and if your pet has ever been on antibiotics, you can be sure that his/her gut flora has been wiped clean.  Start rebuilding the first line of immunity right away with a good quality probiotic supplement. Your pet will thank you for it. Side note: Don’t get too caught up on the number of the actual probiotic itself (i.e. 20 billion, 30 billion, etc.), rather how many strains it has and the delivery system.

 2&3. Honey & Pollen. You want local and unpasteurised, meaning in its absolute raw form, and again make sure it is quality through and through. Your going to want local honey as it contains local pollen spores picked up by the bees, so consuming it can slowly build immunity to the pollen. The best pollen should not be dried, it should be fresh and stored in the refrigerator. Start with very small dosing to make sure your pet is not allergic to bee products itself (one grain at a time), then increase dosage day by day to eventually get to 1 tsp per 30 lbs of weight per day. For honey you ideally want roughly ½ tsp per 20 lbs. Side note: raw unpasteurized honey is not suitable for puppies.

4. Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids. Vitamin C increases immunity and decreases reactions to certain foods, pollens, and other allergens while helping your pet’s body deal with oxidative stress. My personal favorite way of getting vitamin C with bioflavonoids is through rosehips and/or Camu camu- this superfood is packed with vitamin C, phytochemicals, carotenoids- it’s health benefits are endless.  

5. Black Cumin Seed Oil-Nigella sativa. Used for centuries as a natural health and beauty remedy, BCSO is abundant in essential fatty acids, phytosterols and volatile compounds that have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties to list a few! There are over 458 published studies involving BCSO, and I highly recommend it for my customers who come in wheezing and trouble breathing.  
You can absolutely use all 5 key nutrients to combat allergic stress for you and your pets because they all work in the body in different ways. My advice is to start at least one of these protocols 4-6 weeks prior to allergy season to get a head start on taking preventative measures! All of these quality products can be found at Thrive4life Holsitic Pet!