Lovely weather! Shame about the Hay fever…

Hay fever, can you treat it naturally?

Hay fever, this seems to be a very bad season for it. As an additional pressure, none of us want to be sneezing out in public whilst we are in the middle of C 19 lock-down!

Hay fever hardly existed in the early 19^th century, despite the fact that the majority of people worked in the fields and were exposed to a lot of pollen. Hay fever like symptoms are also rare in  third world countries. It is a modern disease with its roots in modern life styles.

I first got Hay fever when I was pregnant. Hit me like a steam train. Burning itchy eyes, streaming nose, unbearably  itchy  ears and the roof of my mouth! Horrible!  Couldn’t sleep as I was  so bunged up and felt really low. My pharmacist told me I couldn’t have medication  when pregnant so offered me some homeopathic pills, just to shut me up I think. Wow! They took all the symptoms away and I could sleep again. It prompted me to buy my own Homeopathic kit from Helios so I could sort it out myself in the future.

How does Hay Fever Affect people?

What I’ve come to realise over the years that Hay fever affects everyone very differently. Firstly, the medical definition  of Hay fever is an allergic reaction due to the exposure of a susceptible person to pollens or spores. The “season” for any individual varies, depending on what substance they are allergic to, with the tree pollens, such as birch, arriving first in the spring, followed by the grass pollens in the summer & ending with fungal spores on the autumn. The areas affected by hay fever may be nose, ears, mucous membranes of mouth & throat & the eyes. In severe cases, the lungs may become affected, causing bronchospasm & wheezing – so called “hay asthma”

 Without exception all sufferers feel utterly fed up trying to control their symptoms. That’s what so fantastic about Homeopathy it has so many different remedies for all the symptoms. For example, the sneezing fits with a runny nose & tingly  burning sensation can be helped with Arsenicum Iodatum. The itchy eye issues with burning nasal discharge with Allium Cepa. The itchy roof of the mouth is soothed with  Wyethia.  The eyes severely affected with swelling of the eyelids & profuse burning watery discharge helped by Euphrasia.  We have mixed grasses & pollens in Homeopathic form as well if specific grasses are your issue, as well as loads of different remedies if you have a different range of symptoms.

What can you do for yourself?

If you spend your summer, sniffling, & avoiding the outdoors then it’s worth looking at your diet! Making simple dietary changes such as cutting down on foods that encourage mucus production, can make a big difference when trying to get your hay fever symptoms under control. At the same time, eating foods that have a natural antihistamine & anti-inflammatory properties can bring further relief.

Honey

A common support factor is taking local  produced honey. This is pretty logical & really needs to be done throughout the year to build up immunity to the pollens etc. Just a teaspoon a day over the whole year will have an effect on the next season.

 

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has an anti-inflammatory effect & is a natural anti histamine so can be helpful with  blocked nose & sneezing symptoms. Your body can’t make or store Vitamin c so it has to be available in low, consistent doses instead. Fresh  fruit & vegetables such as oranges, strawberries, kiwi, mango, peas, broccoli & cauliflower are all abundant in this vitamin.

Reduce some things

Reduce your alcohol intake as alcoholic drinks triggers the release of histamine. It’ll only make your symptoms worse. 

Refined sugar, which is typically found in processed foods, triggers a dramatic rise & then fall in blood sugar levels. This goes onto cause a surge in adrenaline that activates the release of histamine which will only worsen the overall symptoms of hay fever.

Adding some things and substitutions

Adding spice to your diet may be of benefit. Ginger can soothe troublesome symptoms in the nose as it calms inflammation and in doing so acts as a natural decongestant. Ginger tea is a great way to do this. Fresh ginger is best in hot water with added lemon or honey if you prefer. There are some very good herbal varieties of ginger tea available as well.

Caffeine is a trigger for histamine release so try cutting down on coffee & tea intake and opt for anti-inflammatory green, white or nettle tea instead.

Milk, cheese and yogurts can trigger the release of mucus which will only worsen any symptoms in the nasal area. These types of dairy products have also been known to make mucous thicker which, again, will exacerbate the problem of a blocked nose. Fortunately, there are plenty of dairy free products that you can easily substitute for the regular varieties. Almond, soya and coconut milk are just a few examples.

Other Factors

I personally found using a balm up the nostrils was an additional help. It helps stop the pollen entering the nostrils.  I like using Hay Max as it is organic, although there are other alternatives.

Wearing wrap around sunglasses can protect the eyes a bit more if you have to be outside, but standard sunglasses are a must really to help protect your eyes.

Although clothes & bedlinen that have been dried outside smells fabulous, the pollen will stick to the fabric so refrain from this & dry inside or tumble dry. This is especially important for bed linen.

Using essential oils can help as well. A diffuser is a good way to use them. Eucalyptus, lemon, pine, peppermint & lavender are good to use solo or in combination. Frankincense is brilliant as well but much more expensive so try the cheaper oils first.  They can help with coughing and sneezing in particular. Very useful to have in the bedroom at night to help with breathing and sleep.

What can Homeopathy offer to the Hay fever sufferer?

Freedom from these symptoms which really hinder you in your every-day life! I can make you up a personalised hay fever blend which matches your symptoms. Just book an acute condition  appointment slot  and let’s have a chat. Should you really want to get to the root of the problem and sort it out permanently then please book a consultation appointment. Not sure, click the link for a free discovery call so I can guide you to the best course of action.