Stinging nettles have natural antihistamine properties, and help to minimize the body's reaction to pollen and other allergy irritants. Stinging nettle tea can be found in herbal stores and tea shops.

Reishi mushrooms (their Japanese name), or Lingzhi, have medicinal antihistamine properties that can treat hay fever, among other things. Reishi has been cultivated all over the world for its myriad health benefits, though it is best known in China as the "mushroom of immortality." The mushroom contains lanostan, a substance that can help regulate the level of allergen (what your body produces in response to the presence of pollen and other common irritants) in the body. Find Reishi in a variety of forms at your local health food store. 

Step on a bee? Swallow something scratchy? Touch something really hot? LIME is here to help you feel better ASAP, using mostly natural and herbal approaches to whatever ails you. No waiting room, no consultation fee, and no insurance paper work to fill out -- just good, solid advice on treating household boo-boos and bang-ups with the best nature has to offer.

Sneezing, sniffling, swollen, itchy-eyes got you down this month? If so, you're far from alone. Mid-august marks the beginning of ragweed season, which lasts through October and causes a whopping 36 million Americans to suffer the symptoms of "hay fever" or allergic rhinitis.

Technically this column is devoted to food allergy sufferers, but with seasonal allergies (not to mention mold!) in full swing, we've got a total of 50 million people suffering some kind of torment, four of them in my very own household. So instead of writing about foods to avoid this month, I've focused on foods to include in your diet that can help reduce allergies. Food allergy sufferers, take note: I have not forsaken you! As seasonal allergies are said to exacerbate existing food allergies, this information should be helpful to you as well.

The name may be unappealing, but the power of nettle can't be denied. Considered a weed-like garden pest by some, stinging nettle also has an impressive list of health benefits. So