Editorial: Hayfever – allergy relief the natural way
Allergies and allergy relief are always hot topics in the summer months – many people know the miseries of hay fever – the sneezing, itchy eyes that can make hot days a nightmare rather than a joy. But you may be suffering from hay fever without knowing it. Do you think summer colds last longer than winter ones? Most people will agree- summer colds just go on and on, but are they really colds? You may think you have a cold, when in fact you have an allergy to something in the air at that time. A normal cold lasts about a week, but these so-called summer colds will go on for several weeks – in fact, as long as the particular pollen is prevalent in the air. So, that runny nose, sneezing and feeling generally under the weather may be down to a pollen allergy rather than a virus.
Many conventional drugs for hay fever either don’t work very well or make you feel very drowsy. So what are the alternatives – is there such a thing as natural allergy relief?
There has been a lot of interest recently in quercetin. Quercetin inhibits the production and release of histamine, which is involved in allergic reactions. As well as being an effective hay fever remedy it also has lots of other benefits – it is also an effective support for cardiovascular health and acts as a non-drug anti-inflammatory. It can help prevent thickening of the arteries. Foods sources of quercetin include capers, onions, apples, red grapes, citrus fruits and broccoli. A study found that organically grown tomatoes had 79% more quercetin than conventionally grown ones. (A. E. Mitchell et al, J. Agric. Food Chem. 55 (15): 6154-6159, 2007) Increasing your intake of foods rich in quercetin could well help reduce hay fever symptoms, but if you’re in the middle of the season taking a quercetin supplement would probably be highly beneficial too.
Probiotics have also been found to be helpful for hay fever. Probiotics are more commonly associated with digestive problems, but research has shown that probiotics help to strengthen the immune system and so can be very beneficial for hay fever sufferers. Probiotic drinks are sold with a lot of hype but these often contain a lot of sugar and are an expensive way to get the good acidophilus and other bacteria you need. I recommend you take a high quality probiotic formula instead.
Homeopathic remedies have also been found to work well for hay fever. You can obtain mixed pollens from many homeopathic pharmacies and these work very well for some people. A more comprehensive homeopathic hay fever remedy is to use the homeopathic remedies from the British Institute for Allergy And Environmental Therapy. These are easy to take. Although they are ideally started before the hay fever season they will usually still give some real relief in the first season. This was the system I used many years ago – I’ve gone from someone who used to sit in a darkened room for large parts of the summer to someone who can even cut the grass. One of the great advantages of homeopathy is that it can be easily used to treat children as well as adults.
Finally many hay fever sufferers swear by their local honey. Local honey will contain local pollens, and honey has also been shown to have anti-bacterial properties. Many people take a couple of teaspoonfuls a day and find it works well for them.
All of the alternatives to drugs that I am suggesting here have other benefits – they enhance your health in other ways too. Why take drugs when you can take stuff like this?
Copyright 2008 Jane Thurnell-Read
July 8th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I enjoyed reading your article on allergies. I have horrible allergies and they used to prevent me from doing any outdoor work. Recently my doctor recommended Nasopure, a nose wash. It has helped me greatly and i am now a daily user. It helped shrink swollen membranes and thinned thick mucus in my nasal passages. I haven’t had to spend a nickel on allergy medications since. Their website http://www.nasopure.com was very informative too. I would recommend Nasopure to anyone with a nose, especially one with allergies.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:12 am
With a long history to back the claim, soap nuts are very effective in treating people having skin allergies including eczema and psoriasis. Used for generations in India and Nepal, soap nuts have made their presence felt in recent years in European nations, as well as in North America. Soap nuts are extremely mild and very effective for people having allergies. Some of the finest quality commercial detergents and cleansers available in the market may be harmful for people suffering from allergies such as eczema and psoriasis due to the chemicals contained in them. Soap nuts contain none of these chemicals, thus giving the potential for allergy relief.
People suffering from serious skin ailments such as the two mentioned above are always told to not use cleansers of any form but, ironically, they are almost unavoidable due to the fact that cleansers are necessary for basic cleanliness and hygiene in our daily lives. These people are also told not to use any kind of detergents or soaps. This is because the soaps and detergents have harmful chemicals and dye which aggravates it and worsens the condition. Soap nuts are the most natural chemical free detergent available on the market. For this reason, Ayurvedic treatment includes soap nuts as a key ingredient for shampoos and cleanser which are used for cleaning purpose when an individual suffers from skin allergies like eczema and psoriasis.
When an individual uses this soap nut cleanser to clean the affected area, the anti-microbial property of the soap nuts help in killing the germs that cause the disease, thus giving allergy relief. The absence of any kind of dye or toxins and even enzymes (which are known to cause skin irritation) in the soap nut makes it an ideal medicine for the treatment of skin ailments. Irrespective of the sex and age of an individual, soap nuts counter attack the disease causing germs and wipe them out. Absence of the non-allergic substances makes it suitable for children as well!
So, if you are suffering from skin diseases, try the soap nut husk before you switch over to prescribed medicines. Try soap nuts and gather some experience by yourself trusting that if soap nuts are unable to cure your disease then they will at least not worsen the situation. Global studies on eczema and psoriasis have come up with results that can actually help you in switching to soap nuts as a medicine. Studies reveal that people using conventional detergents and soaps as cleansers have encountered an increase in the situation of the skin disease instead of curing it! However, the people who have switched to the Ayurvedic treatment based on soap nuts found that their problems have diminished.
This revolutionary non-chemical and hundred percent natural laundry detergents have steadily grown to popularity and have made their presence felt in the world of medical science. Eco friendly by nature, environmentally friendly soap nuts help in maintaining a cleaner environment and keeping you away from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals. Allergy relief is within your reach!
July 11th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Thanks for this. Another useful remedy is the yogic practice of jala neti which basically involves using a little jug which you use to pour warm salty water down one nostril and out the other. Sounds gross but it works! I’m not a yogic expert at all and you need to be shown how to use it safely, but it comes highly recommended. Regular use has also led to me having only one cold this year, whereas I used to get one every few months.
Warm wishes
Corrina
You Inspire Me Coaching