LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — Nambe Drugs, a family-owned pharmacy located in Los Alamos and Santa Fe, is now carrying AllerPops, a natural allergy remedy that works by correcting the underlying cause of allergies instead of masking the symptoms.

From left to right in the picture, Ashley Zubia, Liz Maestas, Cliff Han, Tom Lovett, Daniela Perez, and Melissa Roybal.

“I think it’s going to be a very effective product. The people who suffer from allergies should give it a shot,” said Tom Lovett, a registered pharmacist and the co-owner of Nambe drugs. “Any time you’re treating the root cause of a problem, it’s a good thing. This is a product that helps your body build up the probiotics that help you fight off the allergies.”

AllerPops were created by Dr. Cliff Han, a biologist at the Los Alamos National Lab. After struggling with a terrible year-long case of allergies, he tested his own saliva and discovered that it wasn’t the junipers that caused the allergy symptoms, but instead it was a lack of friendly bacteria in his mouth.

His research revealed a general principle that can explain why we have allergies and other common ailments. The Theory of Negative Trigger describes the fundamental relationship between bacteria and the human host’s immune system.

This theory led to the invention of AllerPops. Taking AllerPops restores those friendly oral bacteria that play a role in keeping your allergies at bay by calming down your immune system.

“Cliff has done a lot of research on it, and he’s so good at explaining this. We’ve had him give a presentation to all the pharmacists in our stores,” said Lovett. “It’s great to be able to support someone local.”

AllerPops is an alternative to antihistamines and decongestants that only last 24 hours, at best, so you have to keep taking pill after pill. AllerPops often work after one treatment.

And more important, they don’t cause serious side effects.

“I always say that the least amount of medication is the best,” said Lovett. “One big drawback to antihistamines is that they cause side effects like dry mouth, drowsiness, and blurred vision. And when they are combined with decongestants, they can elevate your blood pressure.”