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HAY FEVER SEASON

 Unfortunately for many the joys of finer weather and longer days are offset by the annoying symptoms of hay fever.  In fact if you’re a sufferer you can take some comfort in knowing you are far from alone, an estimated 13 million of us suffer from the inevitable red, irritated eyes and streaming nose.  Although hay fever is most commonly reported in young adults and adolescents it is not confined to this age group and, reports suggest, it is an ever increasing problem.  Although anti-histamines, which are available over the counter or from your GP, are often invaluable for alleviating symptoms there are some useful diet and lifestyle modifications which may further help manage the severity of your symptoms:

• Include foods in the diet that have an anti-inflammatory effect such as those which contain omega 3 essential fats. For example, introduce a bowl of Lizi’s Granola or Pertwood Fruit & seed muesli with some wholegrain toast topped with Carley’s pumpkin seed or nut butter for breakfast, snack during the day on nuts or seeds, such as Munchy Seeds, and include oily varieties of fish such as salmon, trout or sardines twice a week.

 

• Locally sourced honey, included in the diet a few months before the hay-fever season starts, may help de-sensitise you to common local pollens. Check with the honey producer to ensure it is locally sourced and then use it in combination with foods which supply slow-releasing energy such as Pertwood porridge oats, granary bread or Nairn’s oatcakes.

 

• The typical symptoms of hay-fever are caused by the release of histamine and, interestingly, some familiar foods either contain histamine or provoke its release although they are not, themselves, allergenic. By avoiding or minimising these foods during the hay-fever season you may help manage your symptoms.  Common foods with a high histamine content include cheese, yeast, alcohol, vinegar and preserved meats such as salami whilst strawberries, tomatoes, pineapple, mango and citrus may provoke histamine release.

 

• Some nutrients are natural anti-histamines including vitamin C which is of course rich in fruits and vegetables and quercetin which is a natural compound found in red apples and onions.

 

As well as making changes to your diet here are some practical steps you can take to help alleviate symptoms:

• During the pollen season watch the weather reports carefully and try to minimise your exposure for example, avoid opening the car window, going to the park or being in the garden.
• Vaseline applied just inside the nose can be helpful to avoid wheezing and irritation.
• Keep bedroom windows and doors closed during mid-morning and early evening when pollen levels tend to peak.
• Get into the habit of changing your clothes as soon as you get home, pop them in the wash as soon as feasible and air well.

 

A member of the NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative practitioners.