New light on the virus that is plaguing our world has shown that Covid-19 continues to trouble a large percentage of people long after recovery from the acute infection.  Having had Covid-19 personally and being a Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Acupuncturist, I have developed insights into potential ways to prevent, treat, and heal from this new virus.  I would like to share my journey of this infection from the active stage of the virus to its continued symptoms and the strategies that I have used and researched to help others along this path.

In March of 2020 I contracted Covid-19 and became very ill.  I isolated myself in my home. I had very little energy to get out of bed and slept for 16 hours a day.  I worked to heal myself through teas, vitamins, herbs and hot baths. There were many unknowns at the time and my brain ran wild with all of the possibilities of my fate.  Would I be one of the 3% that didn’t make it?  Did I need to go to the hospital?  At the time, testing was limited to the extremely sick, and I wasn’t able to receive verification of the virus.  I had all the classic symptoms; a low-grade fever of 99.7F, extreme body aches in both my muscles and my joints, headaches, a few days of GI upset, extreme fatigue and a small feeling of phlegm in the back of the throat with very little to no sputum.  In short, it felt like I had the worst flu I had ever had.  Each day was worse, and I thought it couldn’t possibly continue.  At about day 10, I thought I had finally turned the corner.  My body aches subsided, and I felt as if I was out of the woods.  I had not experienced any chest pain or much coughing up to this point.  I decided it was time to go sweat out the rest of the sickness and so I ventured out for a light jog.  I got about a half mile down the road and the chest pain started.  It felt as if I was breathing air that was too cold for my body to tolerate.  My chest began contracting and tightening.  I started to cough and eventually began fighting to get breath into my body.  It was a scary moment that I won’t soon forget.  Fortunately, I was able to recover and walked myself home, wracked once again with worry about my fate and how this would end.  Over the next few weeks, I got more used to the chest pain. It came and went in severity and duration.  Sometimes it was sharp and other times it was dull and achy.  I also eventually lost some of my taste and smell. My tongue, throat and nasal cavity felt as though I had scalded them with hot water.  Fortunately, after about a month of this all of my symptoms eventually subsided.  I was extremely grateful that I healed without medical intervention and that I finally felt like I had returned to normal…mostly.  

Months had past and summer was moving along.  Testing had finally caught up and the antibody test became readily available and fairly accurate.  I had my blood drawn to see if I had indeed had Covid-19 or if it was just an intense flu.  My test results returned and verified that I in fact did have antibodies to the virus.  I had immunity for the time being! I felt like I had won the lottery.  The trouble was, I was still having symptoms after months of being “recovered”.  While engaging in intense exercise, such as climbing on my mountain bike, I was still getting chest pains and coughing spells.  I was also getting random muscle aches, fatigue, brain fog and my joints hurt as if I had arthritis.  At the time, I was also doing a lot of intense yard work and construction on my house.  I assumed my symptoms were just due to a hard day’s work.  I found myself wondering if I was just aging because I couldn’t remember ever feeling this tired from landscaping.

The summer wore on in this fashion and my symptoms persisted. I was starting to think that I had developed an auto immune disorder or may be expressing Lyme’s disease.   In October I read an article from harvard.edu on the long-term effects of Covid, “The tragedy of post-Covid ‘long haulers’.  It was being shown that like myself, many Covid patients were also having long term symptoms.  England called it Long Covid, and others Long Haulers.  Around this time, I started experimenting on myself to try and treat these persistent symptoms of random chest pain, kidney pain, fatigue, joint pain, and muscle aches.  

Recently in the past few months more and more research has been coming out on the pathogenesis of Covid-19 and the mechanisms of how it affects our bodies so it can replicate itself.  We understand very little but some themes that could lead to ways to counteract its more severe reactions in people have been illuminated.  An article in JCI insight “Covid-19 infection alters kynurenine and fatty acid metabolism, correlating with IL-6 levels and renal status” published on June 19, 2020 highlights pathways that the virus uses to replicate itself.  

In addition to known risk factors in our populace that make us more susceptible to having severe reactions to the Covid Virus such as immune deficiencies, chronic illness such as diabetes and asthma and old age, elevated levels of IL-6 are a concern.  The noted article above refers to elevated levels of IL-6 (interleukin 6), a cellular chemical (cytokine) that is responsible for pro-inflammatory actions in the body and its correlation to extreme inflammation from the virus.  It is my belief that regulating our immune response and lowering the IL-6 levels can help keep our immune system from over reacting and causing multiple organ system failures. Some key strategies to implement in reducing our IL-6 levels and maintaining a balanced immune response thus reducing the extreme inflammatory response are as follows.  

-Increasing our NAD+(Nicotinamide Riboside) This is a derivative of Vit. B3 niacin.  It is shown that elderly people have lower amounts of NAD+ and that NAD+ is a key component in reducing IL-6 levels in the body. This is one reason that the elderly are more susceptible to extreme inflammatory reactions to this virus.  

-Inhibiting our PLA2(phospholipase A2) PLA2 is a pro-inflammatory agent affecting leukotrienes that cause inflammation and constriction in the lungs. This is especially problematic for asthmatics. With Covid-19 affecting lung tissue this becomes very important issue to be aware of and help keep in check.  

-Regulating Blood sugar.  Elevated levels of blood sugar tend to increase levels of IL-6 and the overall inflammatory response in the body.  Diabetics tend to have elevated blood sugar leading to a dysregulation of the immune response. Increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are seen in correlation with increased insulin levels and increased blood sugar levels.  Separately, and possibly in correlation to diabetics increased risk for severe reactions to Covid, is that increased cortisol and increased stress moves the immune system into a hyper state of defense and over-reaction of the white blood cells fight against foreign substances.  This is a possible reason why diabetics are at higher risk at having extreme reactions. This over response can sometimes lead to auto immune conditions and may be one of the reasons for prolonged Covid symptoms in patients that had more severe acute illness. It might also explain why the long term/ long haulers have symptoms that mimic auto-immune conditions.

-Regulating Immune system- The immune system is a delicate balance between the need to fight and the need to regulate.  We need to be able to fight off an infection while not causing too much damage and offense to our own bodies. Immune compromised patients have obvious imbalances in their ability to regulate immune functions and have increased risks of contracting Covid-19.  

Natural modalities while having less regulation still need to have doctor supervision.  Do not try these without the support of your doctor or a licensed physician to help guide you through the process.  I have purposefully included less harmful modalities yet even these could have unintended consequences if used improperly.  For more in-depth treatment protocols, seek out licensed Naturopathic doctors, licensed Chinese medicine practitioners and functional medicine Doctors to help guide you along these paths.

Having had this virus and still dealing with the long term effects, I want to discuss the symptoms and possible ways to treat long term Covid-19.  While new symptoms and understanding of the long term effects are still emerging, one thing seems to be a common theme.  The symptoms seem to mimic CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and common symptoms of some autoimmune diseases.  I have had joint aches, muscle fatigue and aching, occasional mental fog, chest pain with cough, and kidney pain.  The tissues that seem to be affected are ones that have the ACE2 receptors in them.  The gut, lungs, kidneys, noses olfactory cells, pancreas, gallbladder and heart, all have higher quantities of ACE2 receptors.  Treating and helping heal these tissues is a good place to start.  While using a protocol for CFS and or autoimmune conditions as a backbone for treatment. 

Since the symptoms of post viral long term symptoms vary so greatly, I will just touch on a few key strategies for healing. Using adaptogenic herbs to help support the energy storage and stress response seems to be very helpful. Supporting cell respiration by giving them preferred food sources and enzymes to make energy have been helpful. Keeping to an Anti-inflammatory protocol diet has been helpful. Easing back into old routines with plenty of down time seems to be essential. Managing stress response through breathing, massage, acupuncture, gentle stretching, Tai qi, Qi gong, and decreased exposure is paramount.

It is now coming up on 1 yr post infection for me and I’m still having symptoms especially during times of heightened stress events. Luckily each week seems to get better. I have been helping others that have been placed on this path and it looks like there could be an end in sight. Until that day, small steps seem to be the way to move forward. I would be happy to help at my clinic for those that may want some support.

Wild Harvesting around Park City (ROSE HIPS Rosa s

Staying warm and healthy in winter while snows are falling, can be fun easy and rewarding.

Rose hips are usually abundant in the early months of winter and a great wild harvested medicinal to keep us warm and healthy.  Rose hips are the seed pods from roses.  They are typically bight orange to deep red in color and can range from pea to almond in size.  The hard thorny branches that they extend from keep them accessible for picking into the winter months.  They can be found on mountainsides, meadows and river banks.  They are a source of food for birds so pick sparingly always leaving the majority on the plant.  They tend to be much sweeter and mushier as the winter goes one with the freezing and thawing breaking them down.  Walking by the water you will usually find bunches of them that stick up from the snow offering their sweet and sour selves to help keep us healthy.  Remember to sow the seeds after they are removed to keep them around.

   Rose Hips being deseeded, and removing the hairy pith.

Rose hips are very high in Vitamin C and other BioFlavonoids that help our bodies fight infections, free radicals, and keeps our tissues healthy.  The vitamin C is said to be in a form that is heat stable, so making tea with the hips is a great and tasty way to get your vitamin C.

Making a Tea with the hips

1-2  tsp of the dried hips per 2 cups of water heated to boil then simmer for 5-10 min on low heat,  Some water will evaporate leaving enough for a large cup of tea.

I like to heat them on the stove in the water to be used for other tea.  They tend to need a few minutes at a simmer to fully rehydrate and seep into the water.  I pour this over nettle or mint leaves to make a nutrient rich tea full of vitamins and minerals.  The left over rinds can be used in salads to add some tang or put into smoothies.

Joint and bone health

Bones- vitamin D3 with Vit. K2 seem to be a great pairing for bone health.

It has been shown in many studies that the intake of Vitamins D3 (cholecalciferol) helps absorption and maintaining blood levels of calcium.  Recently K2 has been shown to help the body move calcium into the bones with studies showing reduction of hip fractures, increased bone density and maintaining skeletal height.

Vitamin D3 doses vary and getting blood levels can be helpful

I usually recommend a dose of 1-2000 IU for people in the summer then increase dose to 2000-4000 IU in the Winter.

Vit k2 doses for osteoporosis or osteopenia in the range of 50-100 mcg daily( beware if taking blood thinners)

Inflammation- Fish oils. EPA/DHA, Tumeric/ginger, Digestive enzymes,Glucosamine/chondroiton

There are many things we can do to moderate inflammation of the joints.  I will be focused on some of the more common natural medicines that can be used to help with the inflammatory process

.  

Fishoils- have the active essential omega 3 fatty acids of EPA and DHA.  EPA is more directed to inflammatory response mediation while DHA is geared more for Brain health and functions.

Typical doses need to be high to have a physiological effect.  1-2000 mg of the active EPA/DHA is a good place to start.  This can have some blood thinning qualities so tell your doctor and discontinue before surgeries. 

Tumeric/ ginger- are two very well know anti inflammatory herbs that may be in your cabinet.  They can be found in many anti inflammatory herbal medicines.  

Tumeric can be taken at 500 mg 3 x a day and usually starts to show affects around 6 weeks to 8 weeks time

Ginger can be taken 500-1000 mg 2 x a day with similar time to show affects

Digestive Enzymes- As we age our ability to produce stomach acid and our ability to digest our foods decreases.  Digestive enzymes are a great supplement to get the most out of our foods. They can also be used to help with inflammation if they are taken on an empty stomach.  For inflammatory reduction it is useful to take protein lysing enzymes.  

Bromelain, Papain, and protease are great enzymes to be used for anti inflammatory actions. 

They should be taken away from food 2 hrs after meals or 30 min before meals.  Usually 1 -2 capsules.  

Glucosamine/Chondroiton  These can be taken together to help with arthritis by increasing the lubrication in the joints.  Can start with 1500mg glucosamine and 1200mg chondroitin then move to lower doses if affect is noted.  

Exercise- Weight bearing exercise is great for bone health.  Light weights, walking, qi gong shaking etc. are all great ways to have the bones remodel to help support our weight.  

Elderberries(Sambucus spp.) are a local plant, free, and abundant around the Park City area.  Even though fall has come quickly to Park City with early snows and cold temperatures, there are still berries to be picked.  Just around the first frost the elderberries tend to be their sweetest having had most of the summer to mature and ripen.  The berries make great jellies, syrups, liquors and tinctures.

How to pick them

Elderberries grow in large clusters or umbrellas on a hollow stemmed shrub usually in open sub alpine meadows and mountainsides.  The whole cluster is picked at the stem or cut off with a knife and gathered in bags. ( It is important to remember that the blue and black varieties are safer to eat while the red varieties are reported to be more Toxic.  The stems, bark, roots and leaves have cyanide producing glycosides and should not be eaten.  Will cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting). In general I like to keep consumption down in any one sitting, usually less than a handful at any given time.

The Quickest way to de-stem the berries is to freeze the entire umbrella, then once frozen, the berries literally fall off the stems.

Elderberry juice

Step 1)  De-stemmed berries are put in a large pot.  Fill pot with enough water to cover berries. ( can also slice a few apples, crab apples, serviceberries or other berries and add them to the pot )(for syrup can add ginger, cinnamon, lemon peel, and cloves)

Step 2)  Bring to a boil and keep at a low boil on medium high heat for 30-45 min.  Can use a potato smasher to crush some of the berries.

Step 3)  Strain and press the liquid through a tea cloth and strainer into a large bowl or pot. After the berries are completely drained and pressed they can be discarded.  Measure and pour juice back into a pot and put back on burner.

Step 4)  On medium heat bring to a boil and add sugar at a 1-1 ratio to the Measured juice volume.  Continue to stir until all the sugar is dissolved.

This concentrated juice can be stored in prepared sterilized jars for use later.  Mixed 3-4 parts water with 1 part concentrated juice and enjoy.

This Concentrate can be used as a syrup or further modified into a  jelly by adding pectin.

Elderberry  Liquor  or Tincture

Dried or frozen elderberries with a large slice of ginger and some zest of lemon are put in a jar and covered with vodka and covered with a lid.  I also like to put in some ripened service berries to sweeten the mixture.  This mixture is stored in a dark, room temperature place for a minimum of 1 month. This is mixed occasionally and opened to let out any condensation. The longer it is stored the darker it becomes. After 1 month it is strained through a tea cloth and can be stored for years in a jar.  To sweeten as a dessert liquor 1/3 cup sugar may be added to 1 quart tincture and mixed till dissolved.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern for every human on the planet.  That is why we need to make choices in our health care to prevent the possibility of drug resistant bacteria causing epidemic infections that could hurt our families and loved ones.  Much of the resistance to antibiotics come from wrongly prescribed or misused antibiotics.  Each time we take antibiotics the small amount of organisms that are not kill by that drug have a higher tolerance to the antibiotic.  Those organisms then reproduce and spread though the populace.  When taking antibiotics for viral infections or giving them to livestock food we are creating super bugs that do not respond to antibiotics.  The use of Chinese and Western Herbs may be a solution to the problem.

Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections.(CDC publishing)

The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world.  Simply using antibiotics creates resistance.  These drugs should only be used to manage infections.(CDC publishing)

Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in human medicine and can be lifesaving drugs.  However, up to 50% of the time antibiotics are not optimally prescribed, often done so when not needed, incorrect dosing or duration.(CDC publishing)

One way to help curb the resistance is to be treating with substances that have multiple attack properties.  Herbal medicine usually uses a combination of plants in a formula to combat a know and or unknown pathogen from many angles.  With a multi pronged attack by herbal therapies, the organisms do not get a chance to become resistant to any one antibiotic pathway so they cannot create a single strain that is resistant to any one antibiotic.

Another way that Chinese and Herbal medicine can be helpful is in the case of Viral infections.  Many Herbal remedies have anti-viral properties as well as anti-microbial properties.  When treating infections that may have a viral origin we boost our own immune systems to deal with the viral loads as well as protect from subsequent bacterial opportunistic infections.

Antibacterial properties of Chinese herbal medicines against nosocomial antibiotic resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Taiwan.

As winter starts to grab ahold on the world, Coughs, Colds, and the Flu seem to take reign as well.  Anyone with children knows that tis the season for runny noses, missed school days, and Passing the Flu around with the gravy.  Some simple ways to keep the kids healthy as we move into the holiday season and break the tradition of getting grandma sick during family gatherings.

Avoid Sugar

1.)  Sugar is abundant and it makes us susceptible to catching something we don’t want.  Eating plain sugar lowers our immune system, increases stress on our bodies, and creates phlegm in our systems.  Finding ways to still treat the kids while not overwhelming their bodies with sugar is a must.  Candy exchanges for halloween. (Toys for treats).  Limiting amounts of candy. (only one piece from the bowl)  Eating candy after meals as a treat which will lower the absorption of sugar due to other foods needing to be digested.  Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, so using that as an additive to sweet meals.  Get creative with fruit not ice cream.  Warm is better than cold, cook your fruits.  Use stevia to sweeten or Truvia(brand name) like products(alcohol sugars)  These are sweet with no calories.  Sweeten dishes with fruit, apple sauce peanut butter cookies with agave nectar and fruit juice, etc.

Wash Hands Frequently

2.)  Hand washing habits.  As we move indoors the hands look cleaner and often don’t get washed as much.  The problem is that everyone is inside, touching the same door knob, the same table, and it is easy to pass bugs to one another.  Wash with soap and water, do hydrotherapy as you are, start hot end with short blast of cold.

Dietary Practices

3) Eat more soups.  Cold foods damage our digestion and cause phlegm production.  avoid ice water etc.

Build Your Immune System

4) Ask us about immune building tinctures and teas and foods.  Certain herbs can help increase immune function.  Echinacea is well know yet there are many others that can benefit the immune system.  Some mushrooms and foods also have immune stimulating properties.  Some vitamins, nutrients, and minerals also boost immune function.

5) Remember it is always easier to prevent sickness than treat it.  The best way to stay healthy is to be healthy.

Dr Bradford Lester

Alpine Holistic Medicine

Its finally snowing in Park City.  Are you ready to Ski?  Let Alpine Holistic Medicine guide you to a balance point, remove those aches and pains that may hinder your performance, fine tune your diet for bulking up or toning down, and optimize your health.

Tips on staying healthy as the winter months and skiing arrive.

1. Dryness seems to always show its face as the days get cold.  Remember to be eating heathy oils to keep the skin happy.  Adding oils to the skin may also help.  Olive, coconut, grape seed are some of my favorites.  Getting good bioflavinoids (colorful fruits and veggies) with vit c, keep the small capillaries in the skin healthy and able to get blood to the surface.  Foods that help replenish the bodies fluids keeping the dry away should be eaten regularly; Squashes, apples, pears, root veggies.  Nature provides what we need to be eating.  What is left in the garden?  Thats what we should be eating.
2. Its time to get those squatting muscles working again so we can ski all day.  Qi gong has some great poses that help strengthen the core, the thighs and work on balance.  Try the horse stance or universal stance for 5-10 min a day working up to 30 minutes.  Feet are more than shoulder width apart, parallel.  Squat down slightly with knees over feet.  Feels like you are riding a horse.  Hands can be holding an imaginary ball (like hugging a tree)in front of you or placed over lower abdomen in a triangle like position with thumbs at navel level and finger tips just above pubis bone palms inward.  Keep back straight and everything relaxed.  The farther your feet are apart the harder it gets.  Remember to have good posture and keep knees over toes.
3. Keep your fingers and toes warm.  Using simple hydrotherapy (hot and cold applications) to feet and hands will lead to increased circulation and warmer hands.  Try washing hands in hot water for 1 min then just before finishing give them a short blast of cold.  This will create a peripheral pump in the micro-vasculature moving blood in and out better.  It also creates a small vaso-dialation in those blood vessels warming them up.  I know, end on cold, thats crazy but it works. Also using cinnamon twigs in your tea or shaved onto an apple or pear helps warm the hands and feet.  Fresh ginger helps as well.  These last two can be to warming for some so use with caution and or add to the fruits and veggies listed above to balance them out.

Hope to see you up on the mountain soon.

Let it snow

Alpine Holistic Medicine, Park City Utah

I am a Naturopathic Doctor and Acupuncturist In Park City.  I have been teaching Tai chi and Qi Gong at the PCMARK for 3 yrs.  Last Fall I Started Teaching Classes at the Park City senior center as well.  Please come join us either at the PCMARK Center in Park Meadows (the racquet club) or at the Senior center just north of library uptown.  Classes are for all ranges beginner to advanced.  There is always something new to learn as we are doing the forms.  Heal through the ancient exercises of China’s energy medicine.

I’m a Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Acupuncturist in Park city Utah.  I have been practicing in Park City for 8 yrs.  I have recently started Alpine Holistic Medicine, PLLC, in the Prospector area of Park City.  I have experience in treating a wide variety of conditions, from pain management to general health conditions like Gastrointestinal health, Cardiovascular health, Pediatrics to the well aged individuals. I have a kind heart open ears and a wealth of knowledge to share with you on your journey to health.

Naturopathic Medicine is based on 6 key principals:

• The Healing Power of Nature (Vis Medicatrix Naturae): Naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self-healing process in people that is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this inherent self-healing process.
• Identify and Treat the Causes (Tolle Causam): The naturopathic physician seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.
• First Do No Harm (Primum Non Nocere): Naturopathic physicians follow three guidelines to avoid harming the patient:
  • Utilize methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat;
  • Avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms; and
  • Acknowledge, respect, and work with individuals’ self-healing process.
• Doctor as Teacher (Docere): Naturopathic physicians educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health. They also recognize and employ the therapeutic potential of the doctor-patient relationship.
• Treat the Whole Person: Naturopathic physicians treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. Since total health also includes spiritual health, naturopathic physicians encourage individuals to pursue their personal spiritual development.
• Prevention: Naturopathic physicians emphasize the prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease, and by making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness.

As a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in Utah I am a Primary Health care provider.  I can help manage health care in a similar manner as a General Health Doctor.  I am able to prescribe medications, do blood work, order lab work like x-rays, ultrasound imaging, MRIs and manage medications.  I do food allergy and food sensitivity testing as well.  I favor natural remedies for treatment yet if needed I also use prescription medications.  In the office I have an extensive Herbal Formulary including western herbs like echinacea and ginseng while also having chinese herbs to create formulas specific to your needs.  I am trained in Intravenous therapies and do IVs of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to help your body get what it need to heal itself.  I also use physician grade supplements to aid in healing.

I have a masters degree in Chinese medicine and Acupuncture MSOM (masters of science in oriental medicine).  Acupuncture and chinese herbs are a big component in my treatment plans for obtaining optimal health.

The combination of these two medical traditions gives me a deep tool bag from which I can drawl upon in helping you find your optimal health.

Summer Solstice has come and with it allergies.  This past spring has been a wet one with much growth from weeds to trees and grasses.  Pollen counts are up causing much unwanted allergic responses for those with allergies.

Some  basic keys to remember as the seasons change and to avoid unwanted allergic responses.

1) Eat a rainbow of colors every day.  The Bioflavinoids in colorful fruit and veggies help to maintain normal immune function as well has help us avoid damage from solar radiation.  This is simple this time of year because everything is in bloom and ready to be eaten fresh from the earth and trees.  Eat with the seasons to stay healthy.

2)  Keep the pollen off.  Washing hands and face regularly with cold water helps to reduce inflammation and clean off pollens that have accumulated through the day.  Keep the windows closed if you can to reduce in house exposure to pollens.  Use a netty pot to wash out nasal canal or clean with saline water.

3)  Basic anti-inflammatory practices.  Avoid inflammatory foods, use hydrotherapy, eat anti inflammatory foods like Fish oils, Digestive enzymes, Querciten, and possibly anti inflammatory herbs like nettles, tumeric, hibiscus, ginger, mint ect.

4) Acupuncture helps keep the channels clear and reduces reactions to antigens.

5)  Local bee pollens and honey have been shown to help yet must be used cautiously due to possibility of making symptoms worse or causing allergic reactions.