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Hay Fever

Naturopathy for Hay Fever relief

Hay Fever (also know as allergic rhinitis or seasonal allergies) Natural help for hay fever, allergic rhinitis or seasonal allergies in Brisbane Northside.


When it’s hay fever season (or maybe hay fever season just for you) it can make you feel horrible. Hay fever can be debilitating, but because you’re not ‘sick’ with a cold or flu, people can expect you to get-on-with-it.

 

While anti-histamines can work in the short term, changing the way your immune system responds to allergens can help or lessen hay fever symptoms over the long term.

What is Hay Fever?

Hay fever is an allergic response to an environmental pollen or dust. The pollen or dust aggravate the mucous membranes in the upper respiratory tract.

There are 2 types of hay fever:

  • Seasonal, which occurs when certain plants pollinate
  • Perennial, which occurs throughout the year
Symptoms of hay fever can include:
  • Runny nose
  • Watery and/or red eyes
  • Itchy ears, nose and throat
  • Sneezing
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Pain behind the cheek bones or forehead

What Can Be Done Naturally About Hay fever

You don’t want to be popping anti-histamines all the time (or maybe you have a bad reaction to them) – it’s just a band-aid anyway. While we can’t take away pollens and dust, we can’t put you in a bubble! A Naturopath works on helping to take the load off your immune system. We look at the factors that are setting off your immune system and use lifestyle advice, nutrients and herbal medicine to address the root cause of the allergy. Food intolerances (and IgG or IgA immune response) can over activate the immune system, thus by the time pollens or dust come along, your immune system can go crazy! By reducing the immune load, you can reduce your hay fever symptoms too.

It’s important to note that food intolerances are different from a food allergy, which is tested by your doctor through a scratch test.

Building up your immune system is also important. Ensuring your immune system has the right nutrients as well as improving your gut flora can have positive outcomes on immunity. Specific probiotics have been shown to reduce allergic response.

Lastly, some herbs can help to strengthen the mucous membranes and assist with immunity and a decrease of symptoms.

So, if you suffer with hay fever, building your immune system so that you can reduce or eliminate symptoms year after year may be a good approach.