Health store help

Independent health store advice on allergies and sinus disorders

Looking for advice on natural health and wellbeing? Your local independent health stores can offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise. This issue we speak to Sian Eustace, owner–manager of Healing Harvest in Main St, Kinvara, Co Galway

Just as spring starts to show itself and we start to dream of being out in the garden, seasonal allergies also begin to rear their heads. This means that, for those affected, they have to retreat back indoors unless they can find a solution. Hay fever is one of the most common of these allergies, though the recommendations here can also support those with other types of allergic rhinitis as well as some other sinus conditions.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen and can have a range of symptoms including sneezing, itchy or swollen eyes, streaming nose and eyes, coughing, itchy or sore throat, headaches and more.

Hay fever season is relatively long, stretching from early spring into the autumn. Different types of plants, such as grasses, flowers and trees, can have different seasons for pollen production, depending on when they are in bloom. For some this means that they only have symptoms for part of the allergy season as they only react to one type of pollen.

So what can we do to prevent or treat hay fever symptoms? There are a number of different ways we can approach the issue.

Dietary and lifestyle measures
Sourcing a good local honey can be a useful way of supporting the hay fever sufferer. They should take a small amount of honey daily, starting before the hay fever season begins and going on through the hay fever period. For the honey itself, the more local, the better. As it needs to be started very early in the season, it may be necessary to keep a jar from the year before in case the beekeeper has run out before the next spring.

Another useful method can be to use a barrier, such as a natural, unscented lip balm or barrier cream just under the nostrils. This simply acts as a barrier to catch pollen before it can enter the respiratory system.

Other lifestyle measures can be using tight fitting, wraparound sunglasses, using the weather forecast to avoid being out at periods of high pollen count, not bringing cut flowers or flowering plants into the house, drying clothes indoors, and making sure that clothes and pets are brushed down before coming into the house.

Food supplements
There are several food supplements that can be useful for allergy sufferers as they act to reduce the histamine reaction in the body. Some supplements to consider for this action are vitamin C, probiotics, quercetin and bromelain. Other food supplements that could also help due to their action as inflammation modulators are turmeric (or its active ingredient cucumin) and some of the medicinal mushrooms such as reishi.

Herbal and other natural remedies
There are several herbal and homeopathic remedies to support the sufferer of allergic rhinitis. These come in a variety of forms such as capsules, tinctures, eye drops or nasal sprays, so that the sufferer can use the form which will best treat their particular group of symptoms. Examples of useful herbs are nettle, eyebright, luffa, echinacea and astragalus.

From a homeopathic point of view, it is best to visit a homeopath to find the most suitable remedy, but remedies such as nat mur, allium cepa and pulsatilla could be useful. There are combinations of the biomedic tissue salt, such as combinations Q and J, which can be very helpful for those with allergies.

So, whilst hay fever can be a real pain during the warmer months, it does not have to mean a sentence of being stuck in the house all day long. There are a number of products that can help to reduce or treat symptoms. Pop into your local independent health food store and the staff will be able to help recommend the best options for you.