I am touching wood massively as I say this, but I seem to be having my best hayfever-free Summer in a long time. The difference is, I think, that I’m taking 3 500mg capsules of Quercetin every day, which is one of Nature’s most powerful anti-histamines, plus I’m using Haymax, an organic balm made from sunflower oil and beeswax that you rub around your nose to trap pollen which sticks to it instead of going into your nose. Simple, but seemingly very effective. On bad days, I’m still sitting next to a HEPA filter to de-pollenate the room. I even went for a picnic and sat on grass the other day – unheard of – normally poor Philip has to freeze in Spring and Autumn before and after the grass season! Meantime, here are some other useful other tips gleaned from Healthy House:
- Keep an eye on the pollen count so that you can monitor when it is safest to do things outside
- Remember that pollen counts can be high in the early morning and overnight and fall as a pollen shower
- Remove your outdoor clothes before going into the main living areas of your house
- If you have a pet make sure that the pet remains away from your main living area and bedroom as they bring in pollens on their coat just as we bring in pollen on our clothes, shoes and in our hair (ha – Benjamin would have none of this I have to say!)
- Make a sanctuary for yourself where there will be minimal exposure to pollens, this can be in the living room and also in your bedroom
- Keep the windows closed or run an air purifier between the window and where you are in the room
- Leave your day clothes outside your bedroom
- When you wash your clothes, make sure you do not dry them outside as they will pick up pollens which will then end up causing you problems in the house
- When travelling in the car keep the windows closed and use air conditioning if you have it
- A car air purifier can help a great deal if you do not have a pollen filter or air conditioning in your car
- When choosing a place to holiday, be aware of likely pollen counts. Staying beside the sea or in the mountains is better than staying inland or in a city as usually the pollen counts are much lower
(Ref: Brostoff & Gamlin – ‘Hayfever The Complete Guide’) Healthy House newsletter June 09