Homeopathy for Hay Fever

The natural way to beat those sniffles

If this time of year is a sore-eyed, sneezy, itchy drag for you, then you're by no means alone. One in four Britons suffers from hay fever, compared with one in eight in the early 1980s - and, in line with asthma and eczema, allergic hay fever is on the increase. Due to global warming and mild, early springs, not only has the hay fever season extended, pollen counts have also risen dramatically in the past four years. And ash clouds and pollution only add to the allergic mix.

Homeopathy meets this (sorry about the pun!) head on. Not only can a homeopath relieve your symptoms, they can stop your hay fever for ever - and that's without side effects, such as drowsiness. Homeopathic remedies are made from natural sources (such as the allium plant), and can work in several ways:

• By raising your body's own in-built ability to heal itself, so you become less susceptible to your usual triggers, such as grass, pollen and mould.
• By de-sensitising you to particular allergens. Homeopaths can give a miniscule dose of the particular culprit(s) for your sneezing and sniffles, which (in a similar way to vaccinations) raises your immunity to them. Sometimes just one weed can be the cause of all that torture!

• By getting to the heart of why you suffer from hay fever. This may be an inherited tendency, or stress related, or may have started after a jolt to the system like an illness or vaccination. Sometimes by tracing back to when the hay fever began or addressing underlying causes (which may be inherited) a homeopath can stop you suffering ever again.

The bottom line is homeopaths do not treat your hay fever - they treat YOU as an individual person with hay fever.

Boldre Homeopathic Practice is bang in the middle of the New Forest, a pollen purgatory, yet hay fever sufferers who by now would normally be streaming are reporting just a few mild symptoms this year. With treatment again in autumn and just before the 2012 season, it is possible to eradicate their allergic reactions altogether.

What's your trigger?

This is a rough guide to what causes symptoms when. Just about all hay fever sufferers are affected by grass, and bear in mind that the seasons are getting earlier, so this May we found that many people were already suffering from pine pollen.

March: alder, poplar, elm, yew

April: birch, plane, ash, willow

May: oak, horse chestnut, hornbeam, rapeseed

June: pine, lime, grass, plantain

July: sweet chestnut, grass, nettle, dock

August: various weeds, grass

Autumn: moulds

Specific symptoms

Homeopaths have over 100 remedies that can conquer hay fever - our task is to find the exact remedy that fits your exact symptoms. These should be taken in the 30c potency, at half-hour intervals (maximum six doses).

Some that are commonly used are:

Allium cepa: nose runs like a tap, often making nostrils/upper lip red raw.

Arsenicum album: thin, watery drip from the nose that leaves skin sore. Nasal passages feel blocked, often with sneezing that brings no relief.

Arundo: burning and itching in ears and roof of the mouth, then can go on to include conjunctivitis. With sneezing and itchy nose.

Euphrasia: Centres on the eyes, which stream with burning tears leaving them sore, red and sensitive.

Sabadilla: sneezing, sometimes blow-your-head-off strength! Also often with discharge from nose and eyes.

Succinum: Extreme itchiness. Lots of sneezing, and the whole respiratory tract is irritated and inflamed.

Wyethia: the textbook hay fever remedy - try if none of the others seem to match your symptoms.

Kits are also available containing remedies to de-sensitise you to grass and plant pollens.

Proof

A number of clinical trials have proved how homeopathy can ease hay fever. In 1986 The Lancet published details of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at the NHS Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, in which Dr David Reilly compared homeopathic remedies with a placebo on 144 sufferers. Those treated homeopathically reported a significant reduction in their symptoms, both from their own assessment and their doctor's.

For a no-obligation chat please contact Sue on 01590 624020.

Or visit www.NewForestHomeopathy.co.uk for more information.