Allergies

Every spring we see many people enduring weeks of sneezing and sniffing as the hay fever season sets in.

What’s more, more and more people seem to be falling prey to hay fever. It seems that up to 12% of the population now gets hay fever here in Ireland. The hay fever season is also getting longer too.

Sniffing and sneezing are the most common symptoms, but for some the problem can be worse – itching eyes, nose and throat are often experienced, while chronic tiredness, poor appetite, nausea and headaches are also reported by hay fever sufferers.

Hay fever is an allergy, an overreaction of an immune system to a particular substance in the environment. It is not known exactly what causes the immune system to react so strongly, but the number of allergic responses is definitely on the rise, indicating environmental and lifestyle causes. There is now a theory that our over – clean lifestyle may be a cause to the increased allergy in children. Studies which follow children’s health and the environment that they live in, have found that children that live on farms are less likely to suffer hay fever than children from cities with little or no contact with animals.

Hay fever is arguably the most common allergy in Ireland, with up to one in four 11-21 year olds experiencing symptoms. Pollinating trees and flowers irritate the mucus membranes in early spring, and freshly cut grasses and weeds tend to be more of a summer problem.

Symptoms can be worse when our immune system is not working well. Eating a diet of refined carbohydrates (white bread, cakes, biscuits and sugar), saturated fats (animal fats), transfatty acids, artificial flavorings  and colorants, with little or no fruit and vegetables – a common diet of to-days children will simply not supply the nutrients that our body and immune system needs to work optimally. Also today, we are exposed to a host of environmental toxins, pollutants, irritants and potential allergens that were not in existence even 20 years ago.

This combination of poor diet and continual onslaught to our immune systems from today’s environment is laying the basis for weakened immunity.

So what can be done? If you suffer from hay fever its best to start treatment early in the season, so that your immune system is working well before the allergens start flying.

Begin treatment with a short, cleansing juice fast, with drinks made from chlorophyll – rich green and leafy vegetables to help purify the blood. Avoid fatty meats and processed dairy products which are mucus forming. Stop sugar if possible, eliminating sugar from the diet, including natural sugar from concentrated fruit juices goes a long way towards helping normalize the immune system.

Herbs that can normalize, or strengthen our immune systems should be taken before the hay fever season starts for best results, but if it’s already started they will give excellent results.

Two herbs which I have found very useful in treating allergies are Reishi mushrooms and Astragalus.

Astragalus has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years to treat allergies and weakened immunity. It can be taken by anyone, it has very few side – effects and can be taken over a very long time without any side – effects. It is very useful for children with allergies.

Reishi mushrooms also have a long history of use by both the Chinese and Japanese. It has a great reputation for preventing cancer and normalizing ones immune system. It is very effective in preventing allergies such as hay fever or chronic sinusitis.

David Foley

MNIMH, MRCHM

Medical Herbalist