Spring is finally here, and with it the emergence of beautiful flowers and the heady scent of blossoms. Unfortunately like myself if you are one of the 18 million sufferers of uncomfortable symptoms of hay fever and allergies this is not a good time for us. In fact every one in four of us suffer. Well one thing’s for sure this spring I am going to do my best not to succumb to allergies.

Hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, is an allergic reaction to airborne substances such as pollen that travels into the upper respiratory passages of the nose, sinuses, throat and eyes causing the body to produce antibodies and release histamines, which in turn irritates the upper respiratory passages. The result of all this is common symptoms of sneezing, runny or blocked nose and itching inside the nose and eyes.

Every year I stick with the conventional medical approach and use antihistamines tablets such as Piriteze Allergy Tablets , nasal spray such as Pirinase Hayfever Nasal Spray and even eye drops such as Otrivine Antistin Eye Drops to relieve my symptoms and know for a fact that many of us do the same.

Last year I started taking medication as early as February and carried on until the end of summer. This is long, in fact it’s a really really long time to be taking that much medication. This time however I am going to take a slightly different approach and try and use natural remedies available to us; from honey produced locally from the area to natural plant remedies such as pycnogenol, which is a natural plant extract from the bark of the maritime pine tree. The extract contains a combination of flavonoids that have been found to be of benefit in the diet and their presence makes pycnogenol a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals; in fact pycnogenol is 50 times a stronger antioxidant then vitamin c. pycnogenol also has anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties, meaning that it can help with symptoms such as sneezing, blocked and runny nose and itchy eyes.

I also regularly use NeilMed Sinus Rinse every morning and at night, which helps keep my sinus clear and relieves any cold like symptoms and then apply a natural barrier balm around my nostrils that stops some allergens on their way in.

Taking natural supplements such Quercetin and Bromelain can benefit you. Quercetin is a flavonoid found widely in the plant kingdom that has powerful antioxidant properties helping protect against harmful free radicals whilst Bromelain derived from pineapples, aids the body’s absorption of Quercetin. Vitamin C is known to work synergistically with Flavonoids especially to support immunity.

I have also come across a lot of my friends using Luffa, which is a traditional remedy for relieving symptoms of hay fever such as: sneezing, coughing, and blocked nose. It also restores fluid and moisture in the nasal passages, making the nose feel soothed and more comfortable.

Happy Spring and I am sure, like myself, we will have a good one!!

We are no medical professionals, the information above is only based on our experience and opinions. Please seek professional medical advice before implicating any dietary changes!!!