If Hay Fever has already got you closing the windows, staying inside and missing out on those beautiful summer days – don’t despair. Essential Oils Expert, Adele Wimsett & Nutritional Therapist, Evie Whitehead, can alleviate your symptoms with their natural tips, tricks & remedies.
Hay fever (Allergic Rhinitis) is a common allergic reaction to tree and grass pollen that affects millions of us each year, most commonly during the early spring and summer months.
In fact, according to Allergy UK, 1 in 4 adults and as many as 40% of children experience hay fever symptoms, which include sneezing, itchy skin, red, swollen, watery eyes, nasal congestion, tickly throat and cough.
Antihistamines are the front line medication to alleviating hay fever. However, there are many other ways you can manage your symptoms without a pill in sight.
See below some top tips and tricks from our experts that can help and even prevent hay fever symptoms from being triggered in the first place.
The ultimate goal? To help you alleviate and even overcome your symptoms for good.
THE ULTIMATE ESSENTIAL OIL REMEDY by doTerra Oils Expert, Adele Wimsett
As someone who suffers badly from various allergies, I grew up learning to dread hay fever season. I’d spend several months of the year itching my eyes, having a scratchy throat, with my nose either streaming or completely blocked.
As a result, I’d take various medications including antihistamines (which can affect health and fertility but more on that another time!), serious sprays and decongestants. The results were that I still had symptoms as well as an unhappy liver from breaking down all the chemicals in the meds.
When I started using doTerra therapeutic grade essential oils I was excited to put them to the test as hay fever season had started. I made up an anti-histamine blend of lemon, lavender and peppermint – 20 drops of each topped up with fractionated coconut oil. I placed a drop on my hands and inhaled it as I fell asleep and repeated first thing when I woke up. For the entire year after, I had one antihistamine.
As with everything, due to our bio-diversity, this blend works for different people in different ways. I have treated many of my clients successfully for hay fever with this formula. It’s ideal for those seeking a quick, easy, natural solution to hay fever symptoms.
HEALTHY GUT – HEALTHY IMMUNITY – GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE CAUSE by Nutritional Therapist, Evie Whitehead
For those who suffer from hay fever and have taken anti-histamines, you may already know a lot about what can trigger these symptoms. But, there are many different reasons why you have this condition in the first place.
Hay fever is caused by an exaggerated immune response, which releases histamine in response to airborne pollen that gets stuck on our skin, into our airways and irritates our mucus membranes.
I see lots of people with allergies and I would say that the majority of times they also have had a long history of antibiotic treatment or immune issues. This can go back to childhood from repeated nose, ear, throat infections and lays the foundation for the “atopic march”, and even back to your birth… C-section deliveries can mean the baby is not exposed to the bacteria in the vaginal tract and is born with less bacterial diversity.
This is then seen as a series of immune related issues such as; eczema, asthma, hay fever, seasonal allergies and auto-immunity as the immune system becomes more and more reactive.
As a Nutritional Therapist, it’s my job is to dig down to the root cause and remove triggers from diet and your environment. “Leaky Gut syndrome” is often a contributing factor. Therefore, restoring your gut lining is key as it hosts 70-80% of your immune system and is oftentimes the root cause of allergy responses.
Additionally, in some cases over-exposure to too much histamine from our diet can exacerbate the symptoms you are familiar with.
Evie’s top tips for preventing symptoms and getting to the root cause of your immune responses:
- Make sure all window seals and bathroom sealants are free of black mould – use a bleach spray to thoroughly kill off mould spores.
- Avoid alcohol (beer and wine especially, as they are fermented and aged which can trigger histamine release).
- Try avoiding conventional dairy for 3-4 days entirely and see if your symptoms improve (remove: butter, cream, ice-cream, chocolate, milk, cheese).
- Use local, unpasteurized honey from bees, which feed from local clover and flowers to you. Farmers markets are usually a good bet!
- Try Haymax or Vaseline around nostrils to block pollen out. If these don’t help, you would benefit from a “deeper-dive” with a full consultation to get a specific, targeted approach to help you get to the root cause.
FURTHER HOME REMEDIES INCLUDE:
Garlic
Garlic is highly anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. It boosts the immune system and therefore blocks many of the triggers for hay fever
Horseradish
Horseradish is a peppery, pungent root vegetable, which acts as a decongestant. It helps to clear the nasal passages, and is therefore great for alleviating hay fever symptoms. When the root is cut or broken, the enzymes begin to break down the chemical compound sinigrin into a pungent compound that aids the body in draining the nasal mucous membranes and sinuses. Prepared horseradish should be used immediately or it will become discoloured and lose its strength.
Honey
This remedy can take a while to reap the rewards but honey, when ingested, helps to build immunity to allergens. Your local bees frequent local plants to gather local pollen, the same pollen you are reacting to. Try to eat local honey throughout the year to reap the most benefits.
Herbal Teas
Ginger tea (with raw honey) breaks up congestion in the chest and loosens phlegm. It acts as a natural antihistamine and also strengthens the immune system.
Green tea blocks the production of histamine and builds the immune system.
Peppermint tea relieves both nasal and sinus congestion.
Nettle tea helps relieve respiratory tract inflammation, and eases nasal congestion, itching and sneezing.
Liquorice tea can help to reduce irritation of the respiratory system.
Chamomile tea is also reputed to relieve hay fever symptoms. A remedy of chamomile and lemon oil smeared on a cloth and inhaled can help reduce hay fever symptoms
Please contact Adele & Evie to find out more about how their natural remedies could work for you:
adele@www.seed-yoga.co.uk
evie@www.seed-yoga.co.uk
And do let us know how you get on, we’d love to hear from you!