Allergies and the Musician

Allergies and musicians do NOT mix! Allergies are bad enough, but combine that with trying to make music and you have a recipe for disaster. If it is seasonal allergies, the symptoms, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat etc., over the counter meds may relieve the symptoms, but the side effects of dry mouth and drowsiness can make it just as challenging to play. There are a number of alternative options to help with allergies. The first line of defense is the homeopathic remedy histaminum hydrochloride. This little beauty can relieve your symptoms for seasonal or pet allergies, without side effects. I carry a tube of 30c ( the strongest available over the counter!) with me always, because if I have a flare-up of allergies, including food allergies, this relieves the symptoms within 5 minutes. It also takes care of swollen lips caused by allergies, which if you play a wind instrument, can be a chop killer! There are also a number of products by Natra-bio, which are formulated for specific allergies, i.e. dust, pets, weeds, etc. These are great too if you know for sure what is causing the allergy. These are homeopathic as well, and work very quickly with no side effects. But wouldn't it be great to get RID of your allergies? This can also be done, but I will talk more about that in the next blog! Happy playing!