Hay-fever sucks

Hay-fever SUCKS. It sucks big time.
Do you have hay-fever too?

Are you waking up in the mornings as tired as you went to bed? Do you drag yourself to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and recoil when your reflection looks like you have had two rounds with Mike Tyson? Are your eyes and nose battling it out for who can run the fastest and for the longest? Join the Hay fever Club. Not a club that I actually enjoy being part of if I am honest with you.

If you have some or all of the following (and know it's 100% not Covid), then you're probably suffering from Hay-fever

  • Sneezing
  • Itchy throat, eyes, ears
  • Wheezing
  • Tiredness
  • Coughing
  • Congestion
  • Runny nose
  • Watering eyes
  • Loss of smell
  • Headache
Here in Spain, March April and into May can be the peak for orange and olive blossom, and I suffer badly because of it. I can't help but take in long drags of their perfume as it draws you in, hypnotising you, the citrus fragrance begging you to take bigger deeper drags each time. Thankfully, I suffer less with them than I do with the dreaded olive blossom, which just gets everywhere when the valley winds whip through.

I have tried over the counter antihistamine and eye drops from the chemist (farmacia) but this year they seem less successful at helping me lead a normal life. I'm not so keen on taking daily drugs that could potentially be doing me more harm than good, so I sought the help of a local health food store and I came away with some alternatives and advice for me to try. I would like to offer my thanks to Claire from Girasol in Albox for taking the time to help me try and get this under control. You can find out about Girasol on my recommended business page (Girasol translates to Sunflower) Obviously get your own advice as your health, medication and supplement intake would be different from mine. This information provided below is to help educate anyone who are suffering, so they may consider the options maybe not known about until now.

NETTLE TEA

Being a neat freak I don't have any nettles in my garden, and knowing me I would boil up the wrong thing anyway and end up in hospital, so I have bought a packet of Nettle Tea from Girasol. I'm personally not too keen on the flavour of nettle tea, so I will be adding fresh mint from the garden to my brew. Nettles are packed with nutrients and vitamins with anti-inflammatory properties that can help with eczema, muscle joint and arthritis issues and some symptoms associated with Hay-fever. They are also a diuretic, so could help with bloating. Like I mentioned above, everyone is different, and you should always get advice before trying anything new to avoid making your condition inadvertently worse.

QUERCETIN

A pigment found in many fruits; vegetables; plants and also in supplement form. Quercetin is a flavonol, a naturally occurring antioxidant that helps your body deal with free radicals, restricting the ability for your body to trigger negative changes in the human body. The benefits of Quercetin are:
  • Reduces inflammation 
  • Relives allergy symptoms by reducing histamine being released (natural antihistamine!!)
  • Fights free radicals to reduce the risk of disease and ageing quickly
  • Reduces the risk of cancer
  • Prevents neurological disease
  • Prevents infections
  • Reduces the risk of heart disease
  • Lowers blood pressure
You can get quercetin through a good diet, with it being especially high in onions, but if you need a little help then supplements may help. Again, if you are in Albox, please ask for advice from the lovely Claire in Girasol.

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is a powerful anti-inflammatory. I get a fair bit from freshly squeezed oranges straight from the orchard, but these are not available all year round, so I also get my vitamin C from some other fruits and supplements. Vitamin C isn't stored in your body, so you need to ensure you get a daily intake to benefit from this important vitamin. Vitamin C helps our immune system and gets rid of free radicals responsible for inflammation. Therefore, it is a natural antihistamine too!

HYDRATE

Ensuring that you get your daily intake of water can help, as histamine is produced naturally when we are dehydrated. Something that is easy to become out here in Spain. Replace some wine for water because alcohol will put a strain on your liver, weakening your immune system, making the liver work harder

LOCAL HONEY

A spoonful of LOCAL honey may help you build your immune system up to help battle the local pollen.

HAVE YOU GOT HAY-FEVER, WHAT'S YOUR GO-TO REMEDY? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Previous comments

Rose Vincent
"Thank you so much Tracey. I have suffered with rhinitis for many years. In the past couple of years my symptoms have flared up during the hayfever season. Local honey has helped, so has sipping water all through the day and also an over the counter product called Sterimar� for those that do not know is 100% natural micro-diffused sea water which when sprayed into the nasal cavities literally flushes out the sinuses (tipping the bead upside down for a few secs for extra benefit!!!) I will be trying Nettle Tea too!! Great article thanks again Tracey!! Xxx"
Anita Strobridge
"Great piece about the inflammation . Much prefer natural than meditation. Taking B12 vitamins to help repair my aches and pains . And I have to say early days but feeling the benefit. Even walking the grandchildren to school and feeling good for it with out pain.. slowly but surely I'll get there. Thank you for the tips. "

 

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