Health - Hayfever relief

How to Beat Hayfever

Streaming eyes, runny nose, itchy throat - yes, it’s that time of year again: hayfever season. It’s an uncomfortable affliction that affects over 15 million Brits every summer. And with our ever-changing climate and environmental pollution effectively extending the hayfever season, what can we do to ease the symptoms? Here are some ideas that may help…

Experts believe the incidence of hayfever has more than tripled in the UK over the last 20 years. Children are the worst affected (30-40%) although many find they ‘grow out of’ hayfever as they get older. Early mornings and late evening tend to be the worst time for hayfever sufferers. In the morning, plant life is busy pumping out pollen into the atmposphere. Typical symptoms are the itching nose and eyes, shortly followed by sneezing, runny nose, and streaming eyes.

What’s actually happening is an extreme immune response to the pollen – this causes histamine to be released into the nose, leading to the classic symptoms. In many cases, antihistamine tablets may give some relief (although some can cause drowsiness). For severe cases, prescribed steroids are an option although there can be some serious side-effects. Indeed, even over-the-counter hayfever remedies may cause side-effects. As a general guide, products containing chlorpheniramine K may cause drowsiness, while those with loratidine, cetirizine, acrivastine, desloratidine, levocetirizine or fexofenadine are considered non-drowsy. Homeopathic remedies work extremely well for some, although their effectiveness seems to vary depending on which pollen types you’re allergic to.

So what else can be done to relieve the symptoms or minimise the cause? The obvious first step is to avoid places where you’re likely to find a high concentration of pollen. Many sufferers find that, by concentrating on breathing through the mouth, they avoid ingesting pollen particles through the nose and thus minimise their symptoms. And when eyes start itching try NOT to scratch them – this only increases the irritation. Buy some wraparound sunglasses to protect your eyes from excessive pollen.

When at home, keep doors and windows closed on days when the pollen count is high. An ioniser can help stabilise the atmosphere indoors.

If all else fails, console yourself with the thought that there’s every chance your symptoms will ease and perhaps disappear altogether as you get older…