First, I put something sticky up my nose! This helps to trap pollen so less of it goes in. Any lip balm will do, even vaseline, but I use a rose-scented coconut oil which is rather nice! Haymax (sunflower-based) is a good choice too; we used to sell it in the dispensary. For such a simple thing, it can make a huge difference, even if you do look like you have a shiny nose!
I eat local honey and drink fresh ginger tea a lot. The honey because it contains local pollens and acts a bit like a homeopathic to stimulate the immune system. The ginger tea because it is an excellent antihistamine. I would drink Moringa tea if I could, which is even better. You can also see homeopathic remedy advice here in my previous post.
Next, I sit glued to my HEPA air filter. This is so fantastic and is my real saving grace. Good filters can be quite pricey but, for me, mine has been worth its weight in gold over the years. Literally, with no meds and severe hayfever since my teens, it has been the one thing that has consistently, reliably calmed my system down. I generally use it for about a week at the start of the hayfever season until my immune system seems to kick in, and then I use it ad hoc as the pollen count gets to very high.
This is the one I have – also good for cooking smells and we all know how much fish I eat! Hopefully, it will last me another 20 years like my last one!
I can’t take my HEPA filter out and about with me so I use this, popping into a loo somewhere throughout the day to stick the prongs up my nose for two minutes! This is the one I have, which is the same as the original one you can get from Lloyds Pharmacy from what I can tell, but we don’t have a Lloyds near us.
Finally, I inhale essential oils. My favourites here are peppermint, which is wonderfully clearing, and lemon eucalyptus (eucalyptus citriodora), which just smells divine, clears passages and makes me feel good.
If I could, I would be taking Quercetin and Vitamin C at least, and probably HistoX, a mix of butterbur, nettle, mangosteen and ginger. You can read more about it here and get it in the UK via Amrita here – please use my name when registering. Butterbur has a fantastic pedigree and is the base of this product, which is why I like it.
For even more help and ideas, check my hayfever blog posts out here. That’s just reminded me I should also be doing my allergy energy medicine routine. So many things to do…! Anyway, I hope something there helps you or a loved one who is suffering at the moment. Bring on the rain, I say – sorry 😉