Prepare for Hayfever Season in Advance - Natural Remedies for Allergic Rhinitis

Acupuncturist Philippa Summers shares some tips on getting ready for hayfever season with spring around the corner in her helpful blog with links to articles and suggestions for natural courses of action to help support yourself

It may be a while yet but the early signs heralding the end of winter are beginning to show themselves. Spring bulbs are pushing through the soil and catkins are dangling from the trees. For most of us these are uplifting very early signs of spring, this year more eagerly awaited and welcomed than ever.  But for hayfever sufferers the joy is tempered. Hayfever can take the pleasure out of a day in the sun, limiting activities and for some severely impacting on quality of life causing considerable misery. Symptoms can begin as early as March and treatment is often more effective when started before, hence this early post, ahead of the season.
Seasonal and Perennial

According to the Met Office, who publish a pollen forecast along with other useful information on hayfever, tree pollen allergies generally start from late March running to mid-May, grass has from May until July and weed pollens run from the end of June to September. The UkAllergy website is also a useful source and lists trees and plants by species. People with allergies to one or more of these pollen types have hayfever or seasonal allergic rhinitis.  Those with allergies to other sources such as house dust mites, mould or animal dander which often persist throughout the year have perennial allergic rhinitis. The symptoms are similar for both types of allergic rhinitis.
Symptoms

• Runny or blocked, itchy nose
• Sneezing
• Excess mucus
• Blocked, inflamed, painful sinuses
• Red, sore, itchy, streaming eyes

Treatment Options
Many people rely on antihistamines along with nasal steroid sprays and eye drops to relieve the symptoms of hayfever and for more severe symptoms immunotherapy may be an option.  However, not everyone is comfortable taking medication and all have side effects. Antihistamines, the most widely used treatment, can leave you feeling drowsy, sometimes with dizziness and headaches, and they dry the mucous membranes thickening the mucus and often causing greater congestion.
Acupuncture can help to reduce the impact of allergic rhinitis (seasonal and perennial) without the side effects. It is especially good at relieving nasal and sinus symptoms, most effectively as a treatment before symptoms begin but is also effective in reducing symptoms once they have started. A review of 13 research studies which included 2365 people with allergic rhinitis found acupuncture to be a safe and efficacious treatment improving their quality of life.

What else can you do to help?
Reducing exposure The most effective way to help is to reduce exposure to the pollen or other allergen.
For Seasonal Pollen Allergies:

• Check pollen counts and limit time outside on high days
• Keep windows closed on high pollen count days (Covid permitting!)

• Wear a sunhat with a brim and sunglasses
• Smear some vaseline around the rim of your nostrils to trap some of the pollen
• Wearing a mask may help - wash it regularly

• Wash face and hands (heard that before somewhere?) after being outside
• Shower before bed
• Wash clothes regularly after wearing them outside
• Limit line drying of clothes and bedding especially on high pollen days.

For Perennial Allergies (usually in the home):

• Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA-filter
• Use a HEPA air filter to clean the air
• House dust mite allergy: Vacuum bedding daily and wash regularly.
• Mould spore allergy: Deal with any damp areas that encourage mould growth
• Pets: Reduce contact with pets, easier said than done if you live with them! Their coats and saliva can both cause allergies, so reducing licking and, for dogs, regularly bathing can help. Poodles have lower allergy coats than other dogs.

Other measures

• Avoid or limit wheat, dairy and sugar which can all encourage mucus
• Use a Neti pot to flush nasal passages with saline (research)

• Add Spirulina to your diet (research)
  
• Add probiotics to your diet (research)

I will be back to offering face to face treatment on March 9th.  You can book online via West Norwood Therapies or contact me directly.
 
Best wishes,
 
Philippa
 
07941 674792
[email protected]