Hay Fever Relief

As March draws to a close and we say goodbye to frosty mornings, we happily anticipate the beginnings of warmer weather. Unfortunately for about 20 percent of people, spring and summer is tainted by hay fever (also known as pollinosis or seasonal allergic rhinitis), which is an allergic reaction to pollen.

Hay fever brings misery, inconvenience and despair, not to mention a hole in the wallet. When pollen makes contact with the lining of the eyes, ears, mouth and nose, the immune system reacts. Histamine is released, producing symptoms such as sneezing, streaming eyes and itching.

Hay Fever Remedies

Popular over-the-counter antihistamine remedies such as Benadryl, Claritin and Zyrtec provide daily relief from hay fever symptoms. The drawback is these hay fever remedies are expensive if needed regularly. They can also have side effects such as drowsiness. Some people would simply prefer not to have to take hay fever tablets.

Alternative hay fever remedies are not very practical. Here are a few examples:

  1. Avoiding exposure to pollen - all very well if you are a hermit and never go outside the front door.
  2. Keeping windows closed in the house and car - works well if you want to live in an oven and enjoy drowning in a pool of sweat.
  3. Avoiding mowing the grass - not everyone can afford a gardener. What about other people near you mowing their grass (do you politely ask them not to)?
  4. Wearing a facemask to filter pollen - this is fine if you enjoying bringing attention to yourself and having people stare at you.

Hay Fever Relief

Other methods of hay fever relief are more realistic:

  1. Change clothes and shower after being outdoors in order to remove pollen
  2. Wear wrap around sunglasses to prevent pollen from getting in your eyes
  3. Wipe pets down after being outside to remove pollen from their fur
  4. Don't hang washing out to dry - pollen gets trapped in clothes fibres
  5. Wash your face and hands regularly throughout the day to avoid transferring pollen to your nose, eyes and mouth
  6. Put Vaseline around your eyes and nose to act as a barrier against pollen particles
  7. Fit a pollen filter to your car
  8. Buy a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum cleaner
  9. Plant low-risk plants in your garden (insect pollinated rather than wind pollinated)

Herbal remedies such as butterbur and stinging nettle may provide some relief from hay fever symptoms.

The copyright of this article is owned by Sharon Kirby. Permission to republish this work must be granted by the author.