Spring is here….and so is the hay fever.
There’s so much to love about spring. Flowers coming into bloom, the glorious feeling of the sun on our skin and we start to socialise outdoors again. But for some people, spring brings nothing but dread – sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, all stuffed up….it can be worse on windy days and for many hay fever sufferers – it can ruin almost every part of their day.
Some people assume that they are just unlucky, and they are destined for a life of allergies. We see it so often in the clinic, but we also get amazing results with acupuncture and naturopathic care.
A recent study by Dennie-Wall, J et al. (2017) compared an 8-week course of a particular combination of probiotic (L. gasseri KS-13, B bifidum G9-1, and B longum MM-2) to placebo and found that allergic rhinitis (hay fever) symptoms reduced in the probiotic group. Another study by Yao, MA et al. (2018) looked at the use of acupuncture and moxibustion and concluded that it was significantly effective for the prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis.
So, what else can you do to help prevent or reduce the symptoms of allergic rhinitis?
Well, your Naturopath will probably ask about your gut. I know what you’re thinking – what has my gut got to do with the sneezing and the itchy eyes…. Well, quite a bit. With much of our immune system depends on the structure and function of the gut, it is vital that your practitioner works with you not only to provide some symptomatic relief but also to improve the health of your gut over the longer term. This will help to reduce the severity and frequency of the allergic rhinitis. Naturopaths have a wide range of herbal and nutritional medicine to improve the integrity of the gut and will also focus on modulating the immune response so when you are exposed to pollens and grasses during spring, your body doesn’t overreact and cause all the typical hay fever symptoms.
Herbs such as Euphrasia officinalis can help to reduce congestion and itchy, watery eyes. Urtica dioca is known for its anti-allergic action and Baical Skullcap is also anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory. Qualified herbalists have an array of beautiful herbs to choose from and this is where the art of herbal medicine really shines. Your expert naturopathy practitioner will consider the many contributing factors as well as your constitution and any relevant history and tailor-make a herbal remedy just for you.
If hay fever is getting you down this season, give the team at Balance Complementary Medicine a call.
