I always get hay fever and I hate it
Symptom
I love the winter but only because I get hay fever. As soon as the first sign of spring comes I groan. When everyone else celebrates the sun I have a dread in my stomach. I love the outdoors but spend so much time inside because I just itch my eyes, sniffle and feel miserable. I take everything that the doctor prescribes me and it does work to a degree but I feel like a drug store and I just want to wake up on a sunny morning and go ’yipee’ instead of groaning.
Possible Solution
Ideally hay fever needs to be treated in the winter and everyone has different triggers so there is no such thing as one remedy for everyone. Some of the causes are allergy related and therefore testing for allergies is worth doing. In addition acupuncture can help as well as things like bach flower remedies or herbal medicine. Kinesiology has been known to improve symptoms just by eating the right foods for your body type.
Possible Therapies
- Homeopathy
- Bach flower remedies
- Acupuncture
- Herbal medicine
- Kinesiology
- Allergy testing
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Hayfever Treatment
About Hayfever
Hayfever, known medically as “seasonal allergic rhinitis”, is a very common condition that affects one in every five people in the UK. It is caused by an allergic reaction to airborne substances such as grass or hay pollen, which affects the passages in the upper respiratory system (nose, sinus, throat and eyes).
Hayfever usually occurs during the spring and summer months. Exactly when one has the symptoms depends upon which pollens one is allergic to. From May to July, grass and flowers are in pollen, making these the most common cause for hayfever at this time. During spring, from March to May, pollens from trees are the most common cause of hayfever. Some people do get hayfever into the autumn months. However, this is rare and is usually caused by weed varieties such as nettles and dock plants, late flowering plants and mould spores.
Hayfever symptoms can be similar to those of a cold, and include a runny nose, watery eyes and repeated seemingly uncontrollable sneezing. As with all allergies, the symptoms occur as a result of one’s immune system overreacting to a normally harmless substance. In this case the substance is pollen. When the body comes into contact with pollen, cells in the lining of one’s nose, mouth and eyes release a chemical called histamine that triggers the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
One is more likely to get hayfever if there is a history of allergies in the family, particularly asthma or eczema. Hayfever usually begins presenting symptoms in the early teens and peaks when people are in their twenties.
Treatments
Conventional:
There are many widely used antihistamines available over the counter in the UK without prescription. These contain an active chemical ingredient (either Loratadine or Cetrazine Hydrochloride) that relieves the symptoms of hayfever. However, whilst these treatments can be very effective, they often present side effects, most typically drowsiness.
Alternative:
It has been claimed that homeopathy provides relief free of side-effects. However, this has been disputed by the medical profession on the grounds that there is no valid evidence to support this claim. Nevertheless, there have been some attempts with controlled trials to show that acupuncture is more effective than antihistamine drugs in the treatment of hayfever, but to date the results have been inconclusive.
Eating locally produced unfiltered honey is believed by many to be an effective treatment for hayfever, supposedly by introducing smaller manageable amounts of pollen to the body. However, as is the case with acupuncture, clinical studies have not yet yielded any evidence for this theory. Advocates of honey recommend beginning treatment well before the season begins, or even all year round.