With allergy season upon us, it’s important to know that there are natural alternatives to over-the-counter drugs like Claritin and Allegra, says Susanne Saltzman, MD. “Allergy sufferers know that these drugs do not cure; they merely provide temporary relief of symptoms,” she says. “Rather than just treating the symptoms or avoiding the allergen itself, like pollen or dust mites, homeopathy offers an extremely effective way to strengthen and rebalance an individual’s immune system so that the allergen is no longer a problem.”

A number of remedies can be used to target specific symptoms during allergy season, Saltzman says. For example, Allium cepa is for people who experience profuse, burning nasal discharge that becomes worse in a warm room and better in open air, while Euphrasia is for people who experience profuse, burning tears and a bland nasal discharge. People who need Sabadilla often complain of spasmodic sneezing, whereas Wyethia can cure the itching of the upper palate that causes someone to make clucking noises to “scratch” it.

“While these and other acute remedies will provide relief of symptoms, permanent cure often requires a deeper-acting or ‘constitutional’ remedy that is unique to an individual,” Saltzman says. “This remedy is based on a person’s mental, emotional and physical symptoms, not just the allergy symptoms.” Salztman often spends an hour and a half with a patient at the initial visit to ascertain the constitutional remedy, which often permanently eliminates allergy symptoms, she says.

Dr. Susanne Saltzman has offices at 250 E. Hartsdale Ave. Ste. 22, Hartsdale, NY, and at 252 Old Nyack Turnpike, Spring Valley, NY. For more info, contact her at 914.472.0666 or visit HartsdaleHomeopathy.com.