Surely I'd done a blog about Hayfever??

... but apparently it would seem not...  So, a little short on time (I've got playgroup pickup run starting in about 2 minutes, and also conscious that the hayfever season has started for some) so here's one from before...

 A "Magic Pill" for Hayfever and other Allergies.

Hayfever currently affects about a quarter of the UK population, one of the highest prevalence rates for hayfever in the world.  This is set to increase and it is predicted that up to 28 million people will have hayfever by 2040 due to severe pollen seasons caused by climate change.

Interestingly, homeopaths pioneered both the research on allergies and allergy treatment. In 1871, British homeopath C.H. Blackely suggested that seasonal sneezing and nasal discharge were the result of exposure to pollen. Later, American homeopath James Tyler Kent defined the practical principles of treating allergies with homeopathy. If someone develops an acute reaction to pollen (or another allergen), such as a running nose or itching, watery eyes, during the allergy season, this reaction is addressed first. After all, there is no need for anyone to suffer discomfort. Then, during the symptom-free season, a homeopath aims to find a so-called constitutional remedy that solves the problem on every level of a person's being. It can take a while for the full affects of a remedy like this to be felt. But in the end, many other complaints and conditions usually drop away along with the symptoms of allergy.

Today conventional allergists use a desensitisation process that resembles the homeopathic practice of "using like to cure like." They give their patients a bit of the allergen (for example, tree pollen) to stimulate a reaction that the body overcomes, thus making the body stronger. However, their injections do not feature homeopathically prepared solutions. It's a little known fact that a homeopath, Grant L. Selfridge, M.D., was the first president of the organization that is now called the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Desensitisation tends to work for the season the allergen is prescribed but the next season the process will need repeating.  Effective homeopathic treatment may be able to alleviate the hayfever entirely so decreasing or even stopping the need for anti-histamine treatments or desensitisation injections. 

How do you take homeopathic remedies? These specially prepared remedies are sold in health food stores and come in the form of small sweet pills. Buy remedies in concentration 30C. Place 1 pill under the tongue and let it dissolve. Repeat the dose in 15 minutes. If there is no improvement of symptoms at all in about 30 minutes after the second dose stop taking the remedy.  If the allergic reaction is severe always seek medical advice or go to A&E.

Constitutional treatment combined with palliation of symptoms whilst working with a qualified Homeopath would usually be the most effective way to treat hayfever, in the meantime though here are 6 remedies which may be helpful to make summer more fun!

Allium cepa (Red Onion):

Take Allium if you see the following signs. (Always compare these signs with the signs indicating a need for Euphrasia.)
· Irritating, caustic discharge from the nose that irritates the nose and the upper lip (opposite of Euphrasia)
· Bland discharge from the eyes (opposite of Euphrasia)
· Discharge from the nose and eyes in large amounts
· Nose eventually gets completely obstructed
· Frequently there is heaviness in the middle of the forehead and/or a headache that gets better when the nose drains freely
· Frequently the symptoms begin on the left side
· You feel worse: in the late afternoon and evening, and from being in a warm room
· You feel better: from open air, cold air

Apis mellifica (Honeybee):

More times than not this is the correct remedy to take for allergic reactions to beestings.  Be prepared to give it on the way to the A&E. Use it to relieve any severe allergic reaction that involves the following combination of key symptoms.
· Very significant swelling of the eyes. Sometimes eyes are literally bloodshot from swelling
· Heat and burning sensation of the face and the eyes
· Craves cold applications and is much improved by them

Arsenicum album (Arsenic Trioxide):
· Irritating watery discharge from the nose
· Dripping from the nose, which is completely obstructed
· Burning (eyes, nose, throat) that is better from hot drinks or hot applications
· Right side is mainly affected
· You feel better: from being in a warm room, warm drinks, and warm applications

· You feel worse: from anything cold

Euphrasia officinalis (Eyebright):
· Eyes feel irritated, burning and itching
· Tears are abundant and irritating, nasal discharge is bland (exactly opposite to Allium cepa)
· Worse: in the morning and from warm wind
· Better: upon lying down in bed at night

Sabadilla (Cevadilla seed):
· Remarkable fits of sneezing. Some people sound like an automatic weapon
· Every fit of sneezing provokes tears
· Constant itching inside of the nose and/or the palate
· Worse: from cold and open air
· Better: from heat, being in a warm room, and warm drinks

Urtica urens (Stinging Nettle):

This remedy is specifically used for allergic reactions to shellfish and stings by jellyfish. Look for:
· Itching hives with a prickling, burning sensation
· Hives that look like red, raised blotches with white centers