Hay fever season starts in March and lasts until September.
The body overreacts to various allergens in the environment and treats them as
if they were toxic. The result is irritation and inflammation of the nose,
eyes, and throat. Symptoms include sneezing, runny or congested nasal passages,
red, watery, itchy eyes, itchy throat, and often a wheezy chest – which can be
indicative of asthma. Sometimes hay fever sufferers, due to their increased
sensitivity to certain allergens, may develop nettle rash when their skin comes
into direct contact with grass or eczema that is aggravated by certain pollens.
The most common treatment for hay fever is antihistamines.
Histamine is a chemical released in the body in response to allergens. A person
with hay fever produces high levels of histamine, which is why they can suffer
from symptoms associated with an allergic response such as runny and inflamed eyes, nose, and throat. Antihistamines suppress
that natural response in the body, and stop the allergic response symptoms.
Steroids are also a common form of treatment and are prescribed in nasal sprays
and eye drops to help limit inflammation and irritability in the eyes and nose.
Many may find relief with these treatments, but they are not
without their side effects which can be long-term and
harmful in themselves. Side effects of
Antihistamines include dizziness, tightness of the chest, headaches, skin
reactions, and thickening of mucus in the chest or throat. Nasal sprays made
with steroids have side effects which may include nosebleeds, nasal ulcers,
sneezing, and a sore throat.
An alternative and healthier
treatment for hay fever is homeopathy. Homeopathy is an effective,
gentle, more natural approach to a cure without the side effects of traditional
treatments. It helps your body restore itself to
health by supporting the natural processes that heal illness.
Your body is working constantly to keep you healthy. Every
day it fights off things in your environment that can cause illness. You can
tell when your body is fighting off an illness because you develop symptoms
like a runny nose or a fever. This is your body’s natural response working to
restore the balance of health and wellbeing. But sometimes, when your natural
balance has been affected by illness, your body isn’t able to heal itself and
further symptoms develop such as a cough or a
rash.
Homeopathic medicines, called remedies, are made of minute
substances, which are then diluted in water. Because there is only a small amount of the actual substance in the remedy,
there is no toxicity and the remedies are not addictive. However, they are powerful and effective medicines
that are safe for pregnant women, babies, children, and adults.
Homeopaths work by
assessing all of the patient’s individual symptoms. So, rather than prescribing
on a diagnosis of ‘hay fever’, a homeopath takes a detailed medical history and
prescribes a remedy based on all of the symptoms – emotional and physical. Not
everyone experiences hay fever in the same way, expressing the same symptoms or
even at the same time of year, so why should all people with hay fever be given
the same medicine? This unique way of prescribing is what makes homeopathy so
effective. The remedy prescribed is chosen for the patient’s precise collection
of symptoms, which means it is specific to that patient’s needs and will
therefor be able to heal the illness and help the body to restore its natural balance.
