How To Manage Hay Fever Naturally

Hurrah it’s officially Spring!

We can enjoy longer days, some more sunshine (hopefully) and more time outside. However, spring also marks the beginning of hay fever season and for some, hay fever really does take the joy out of this time of year. The pollen count is very high at the moment due to it being unseasonably warm and I’ve had a lot of people get in touch expressing frustration at their hay fever symptoms.

I really empathise, until recently I used to hate spring due to the severity of my hay fever symptoms. My symptoms started at 11 years old and I remember many times sitting in an exam hall at school, hardly being able to see due to my eyes watering, itching, swelling up and profuse sneezing. It was miserable. As I got older, antihistamines did not work (and made me feel foggy and just not very good) and if I sat on grass, I would come out in hives all over my arms and legs. I remember once I was on holiday in Spain in the countryside in early June and I was in such a mess we had to leave and go to our next destination early (the coast – I was okay by the sea) as I couldn’t leave the room without sneezing and was so congested I couldn’t breathe! So, I really do get it. Nowadays, I can enjoy being in the park and countryside without any problems.

I wanted to write this blog to help you with your hay fever symptoms. I have included some natural recommendations to help you manage your hay fever symptoms this season. The best time to treat hay fever is actually in the winter months (prevention is better than management) but there are still lots of things you can do to help manage your symptoms. Firstly, what is hay fever? Hay Fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. This can be tree (released during Spring), grass (released end of Spring, beginning of Summer) or weed pollen (released anytime early Spring and late Autumn). So, what causes hay fever? The immune system sees pollen as an invader and therefore responds by stimulating the release of histamine causing hay fever symptoms.

Common symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, hives and headaches. Some people experience asthmatic symptoms during hay fever season and less commonly some suffer with loss of smell and face pain.

How To Manage Hay Fever Symptoms Naturally:

Vitamins and Supplements
Probiotics – these contain friendly bacteria that help to maintain and improve digestive health. A lot of our immunity is in our gut (as well as serotonin, the ‘happy’ hormone receptors), therefore by taking probiotics daily it can help give you a more balanced immune response to pollen (and allergens in general).

Vitamin C – an effective natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory, it also supports healthy immune function and protects from secondary respiratory conditions. Try a Vitamin C supplement with bioflavonoids (antioxidants that complement vitamin C’s effect in the body and are potent antihistamines and anti-inflammatories).

A good multivitamin should satisfy your vitamin C needs, this is a good one – Cytoplan Aller-G Formula

To further support your immune system, eat lots of organic fruit and vegetables!

Boost your immune system further
When the body is exposed to allergens daily, it can be a lot for your immune system to cope with. Consider taking an immune support such as Beeprepared.

Avoid Dairy
Dairy products are inflammatory and therefore increase the production of mucus in the respiratory tract and exacerbate nasal congestion.

Use a Barrier Balm
Haymax balm – completely natural this will help to prevent the pollen from being inhaled or going to your eyes. Put around your nostrils and underneath your eyes.

Look after your eyes!
A few options here:
Do an eye bath and put a few drops of Euphrasia Mother Tincture in some water (available from Helios Pharmacy). Repeat morning and night.
Eyedrops from A.Vogel
Wear sunglasses when outside as much as possible, another tip for minimising the pollen getting to your eyes.

Use Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies can help to manage your symptoms (and help prevent if taken in winter months) and replace taking antihistamines – book a free discovery call if you wish to have a chat and see how I can help.

Herbal Hay Fever Tablets
A.Vogel Pollinosan Hayfever Tablets

Local honey
Unprocessed honey contains various types of pollen and if consumed on a regular (daily is best) basis, it helps to desensitize the immune system. It is very important to consume locally produced honey to desensitize to the local pollen that you are exposed to!

Avoid or limit histamine producing foods

Know when pollen is at its highest
Pollen is usually at its highest early in the morning and late afternoon/early evening.

I would like to stress that gut health is a significant factor in how your body copes with allergies, including hay fever. As well as homeopathy and the things I have already mentioned, I would highly recommend microbiome testing to enable you to find out which foods you should be eating to optimize your gut health. Click here for more information.

I hope you have found this useful, please get in touch and let me know what has worked for you!