Allergies
Hayfever: these natural remedies won't compromise your health or make you drowsy like conventional drugs
Date: 19/09/07
Most of us eagerly await the spring and summer months, when we finally get to enjoy our gardens in full bloom. Theres nothing more relaxing than sitting outside with a cold drink in your hand as you bask in the hot weather.
However, if you are one of the 25 percent of the UK population that suffers from hay fever, this time of year can spell misery due to the high pollen count and sitting in your garden or a park is probably the last thing you want to do.
The condition causes numerous distressing symptoms that can last for weeks at a time, including allergic conjunctivitis (watery, itchy and red eyes), allergic rhinitis (a runny or blocked nose that is accompanied by sneezing and irritation), asthma (dry cough, difficulty in breathing and wheezing) and other problems such as headaches, itching in the roof of your mouth, a sore throat, difficulty in concentrating and general irritability.
These symptoms occur when chemicals contained in pollen are picked up by a sufferers immune system, which then over-reacts and produces antibodies that release high levels of a chemical called histamine. It is excess histamine in your system that is responsible for irritating your upper respiratory passages, making them swell, itch and produce watery mucus.
Conventional treatments can leave you feeling groggy, thirsty and worse
Your doctor is likely to recommend that you take antihistamine drugs, such as Zyrtek and Benadryl, which block the action of histamine. While they can be effective at relieving hay fever symptoms they can cause unpleasant side effects such as drowsiness, headaches, indigestion and a dry mouth.
For those sufferers who experience severe symptoms steroid medication may be prescribed. However, used long-term steroids can have harmful affects and weaken your skin, bones and immune system.
Fortunately there are plenty of alternative treatments available that are just as effective as conventional drugs but dont come with their long list of side effects.
Butterbur performs just as well as conventional anti-histamines without making you drowsy
Swiss researchers have recently found that the herbal extract butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is just as effective as antihistamines for treating hay fever. A total of 125 people with a history of hay fever were treated with either butterbur extract tablets or a commonly used antihistamine (cetirizine) in a randomised controlled trial. After two weeks, both groups experienced a similar degree of relief from their symptoms, but those taking butterbur did not experience drowsiness and fatigue like the antihistamine group (BMJ 2002;324:144).
Butterbur naturally contains chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) that can be toxic to the liver, so be sure to obtain a PA-free standardised extract. The recommended dosage is one 50mg capsule taken three times a day with meals for the first month and one capsule a day thereafter.
Vitamin C is also proving effective against hay fever, as it is able to prevent the secretion of histamine and increase its rate of breakdown in the body (C Amer J Nat Med 1996; 3: 8-21). Take 1,000mg of vitamin C a day.
The West African traditional remedy that can help you breath more easily
The bark of a West African rubber tree called yamoa (Funtumia elastica) has been used for centuries by traditional healers to successfully treat a number of conditions, including hay fever. It is particularly effective at fighting a dry cough and wheezing, which many hay fever sufferers experience.
Yamoa contains several powerful plant chemicals, including saponins and tannins, which strengthen your immune system (Med Chem Lett. 2005;15(10):2637-40). This is important as a strong immune system is much better equipped to withstand allergens and neutralise the chemicals found in pollen. The recommended dosage is 500mg of yamoa taken once or twice a day.
Another traditional remedy involves having a teaspoon of pure honey every day preferably from honey sourced locally. This is believed to awaken your immune system through the small amounts of pollen collected by the bees that produced the honey and make it better able to cope with the high amounts of pollen that you then come into contact with in the air.
How acupuncture and homeopathy could help ease your streaming eyes and nose
Research has shown that acupuncture and homoeopathy can successfully help (Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003;3(5):395-9).
In fact one study revealed that acupuncture is just as effective as antihistamine drugs, but with longer lasting benefits (Am J Acupuncture 1988; 16: 143-8). For more details or to find a practitioner near you, contact the British Acupuncture Council: Tel: 020 873 50400; or visit: www.acupuncture.org.uk
In a scientific report published only a few months ago, a study found that homoeopathic remedies substantially improved hay fever symptoms. The scientists examined 147 hay fever patients who were treated with homeopathic remedies such as Lycopodium, Pulsatilla and Sulphur. Only seven patients experienced no improvements at all, whereas the remaining patients reported how their symptoms had either disappeared completely or were far less severe and less frequent than before (Homeopathy. 2006;95(2):68-72).
For homoeopathy to work properly it is best to start your treatment a few weeks before hay fever symptoms develop. This is because homeopathic treatments act as preventatives, so they need some time to get to work and strengthen your immune system. For more information or to find a practitioner near you, contact The Society of Homeopaths: Tel: 0845 450 6611; or visit: homeopathy-soh.org
Back to topHowever, if you are one of the 25 percent of the UK population that suffers from hay fever, this time of year can spell misery due to the high pollen count and sitting in your garden or a park is probably the last thing you want to do.
The condition causes numerous distressing symptoms that can last for weeks at a time, including allergic conjunctivitis (watery, itchy and red eyes), allergic rhinitis (a runny or blocked nose that is accompanied by sneezing and irritation), asthma (dry cough, difficulty in breathing and wheezing) and other problems such as headaches, itching in the roof of your mouth, a sore throat, difficulty in concentrating and general irritability.
These symptoms occur when chemicals contained in pollen are picked up by a sufferers immune system, which then over-reacts and produces antibodies that release high levels of a chemical called histamine. It is excess histamine in your system that is responsible for irritating your upper respiratory passages, making them swell, itch and produce watery mucus.
Conventional treatments can leave you feeling groggy, thirsty and worse
Your doctor is likely to recommend that you take antihistamine drugs, such as Zyrtek and Benadryl, which block the action of histamine. While they can be effective at relieving hay fever symptoms they can cause unpleasant side effects such as drowsiness, headaches, indigestion and a dry mouth.
For those sufferers who experience severe symptoms steroid medication may be prescribed. However, used long-term steroids can have harmful affects and weaken your skin, bones and immune system.
Fortunately there are plenty of alternative treatments available that are just as effective as conventional drugs but dont come with their long list of side effects.
Butterbur performs just as well as conventional anti-histamines without making you drowsy
Swiss researchers have recently found that the herbal extract butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is just as effective as antihistamines for treating hay fever. A total of 125 people with a history of hay fever were treated with either butterbur extract tablets or a commonly used antihistamine (cetirizine) in a randomised controlled trial. After two weeks, both groups experienced a similar degree of relief from their symptoms, but those taking butterbur did not experience drowsiness and fatigue like the antihistamine group (BMJ 2002;324:144).
Butterbur naturally contains chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) that can be toxic to the liver, so be sure to obtain a PA-free standardised extract. The recommended dosage is one 50mg capsule taken three times a day with meals for the first month and one capsule a day thereafter.
Vitamin C is also proving effective against hay fever, as it is able to prevent the secretion of histamine and increase its rate of breakdown in the body (C Amer J Nat Med 1996; 3: 8-21). Take 1,000mg of vitamin C a day.
The West African traditional remedy that can help you breath more easily
The bark of a West African rubber tree called yamoa (Funtumia elastica) has been used for centuries by traditional healers to successfully treat a number of conditions, including hay fever. It is particularly effective at fighting a dry cough and wheezing, which many hay fever sufferers experience.
Yamoa contains several powerful plant chemicals, including saponins and tannins, which strengthen your immune system (Med Chem Lett. 2005;15(10):2637-40). This is important as a strong immune system is much better equipped to withstand allergens and neutralise the chemicals found in pollen. The recommended dosage is 500mg of yamoa taken once or twice a day.
Another traditional remedy involves having a teaspoon of pure honey every day preferably from honey sourced locally. This is believed to awaken your immune system through the small amounts of pollen collected by the bees that produced the honey and make it better able to cope with the high amounts of pollen that you then come into contact with in the air.
How acupuncture and homeopathy could help ease your streaming eyes and nose
Research has shown that acupuncture and homoeopathy can successfully help (Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003;3(5):395-9).
In fact one study revealed that acupuncture is just as effective as antihistamine drugs, but with longer lasting benefits (Am J Acupuncture 1988; 16: 143-8). For more details or to find a practitioner near you, contact the British Acupuncture Council: Tel: 020 873 50400; or visit: www.acupuncture.org.uk
In a scientific report published only a few months ago, a study found that homoeopathic remedies substantially improved hay fever symptoms. The scientists examined 147 hay fever patients who were treated with homeopathic remedies such as Lycopodium, Pulsatilla and Sulphur. Only seven patients experienced no improvements at all, whereas the remaining patients reported how their symptoms had either disappeared completely or were far less severe and less frequent than before (Homeopathy. 2006;95(2):68-72).
For homoeopathy to work properly it is best to start your treatment a few weeks before hay fever symptoms develop. This is because homeopathic treatments act as preventatives, so they need some time to get to work and strengthen your immune system. For more information or to find a practitioner near you, contact The Society of Homeopaths: Tel: 0845 450 6611; or visit: homeopathy-soh.org
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