Are your summers ruined by pollen? It's so upsetting to get out of winter, the sun is shining, the beautiful flowers and leaves are filling our world with colours and smells again and you feel like you have a cold.
When we’ve been staring at brown twigs since October it's annoying that as soon as they’re covered in vibrant green leaves you can’t look at them for itchy, watering eyes.
I had rotten hay fever when we first moved to the countryside 15 years ago. I was very run down and had been living in cities for 10 years. I’d never had it before so it was a big surprise.
Over the years of treatment I’ve been managing better and better. A couple of years ago I only suffered the first week of each pollen season. Last year I was a bit sneezy for a day or two of each new season. Then finally this year nothing! I can look up at these beautiful oaks and enjoy their greenery.
Hay fever is a bit of an art to address with homeopathy. I find a combination of treatment where the underlying sensitivity is addressed whilst at the same time using some great remedies to deal with the acute symptoms. These can change from season to season depending on your symptoms. Itchy eyes, runny nose, stuffed up nose, headaches, etc.
As with a lot of homeopathic treatment it can require patience and getting to know how to read your symptoms. I had other homeopaths to guide me through mine as it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the symptoms. I remember being shut in the bedroom with the windows shut throughout the house, cold flannel over my eyes and miserable with the inflammation. Antihistamines were making me feel worse so I remember I booked an appointment over the phone with my homeopath and howled down the phone with the misery of it. The remedy he recommended was like flipping a switch: from that day I’ve been on a journey and am so very happy to be in the clear.
It's not always this complicated. I was at dinner once years ago and another guest was sneezing so much he couldn't eat his dinner. I offered him a remedy I thought might help (there are a few but I had this one with me in my blue Helios Kit that lives in my car) and he stopped sneezing immediately. When he started again a little while later I gave him another and some more to take home with him if it returned. I never heard from him again but bumped into his wife years later at a party. Apparently he's never had hay fever since!
I've improved year on year, being able to manage the symptoms with a set of remedies I learned worked for me for each different type of pollen, whilst working on my underlying resilience. Understanding the condition helped too. Beach holidays were great, the pollen season is over quicker in hot countries, and camping in long grass was insane and would disable me.
So yes, hay fever can feel like a really nasty cold. It affects your mood too as you can't enjoy all the outdoor activites, sports days, long sunny cricket matches. Antihistamines can be effective but come with side-effects. According to the Cleveland Clinic these include: drowsiness, dry mouth, dry eyes, blurred or double vision, dizziness and headache, low blood pressure, mucous thickening in the airways, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, breast swelling, difficulty urinating and constipation and long term use has been linked to cognitive decline and dementia. I wouldn't be comfortable giving these long-term to children. I am very grateful to homeopathy for providing me with a safe and effective alternative. If it's bothering you this year - click on the link on my home page to book a free 15 min call to discuss how I could help you.
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