Hay Fever.

Hay Fever

Hay Fever also known as nasal allergies, pollinosis or seasonal allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms. Hay fever is an allergy to dust, pollen or dander in the air. It mainly causes allergy to the eyes and nose. Hay fever is seasonal; however it can last throughout the year if the allergens are present in the air throughout the year. Spring and fall are the two main seasons for hay fever

So what is Hay Fever? Hay Fever, medically known as
Allergic rhinitis or pollenosis is a commonly occurring affliction which is actually refers to the swelling of the nasal airway due to an allergy. Studies indicate that almost 10-20% of people are annually affected by allergic rhinitis. This condition is caused by allergens commonly present such as dust or pollens in anyone with a sensitive immune system. This activates the production of antibodies in the body causing an allergic reaction. When allergens are detected by the body, it produces the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) that bind themselves to the resident cells in several tissue containing histamine and heparin rich granules and are elemental in wound healing and protecting the body against various pathogens and also basophiles containing histamine. The IgE which bind themselves to mast cells are stirred by dust and pollen which results in the inflammatory mediators like histamine being released. It is the release of this histamine that causes itching and production of mucus. The effects of the release of histamine can also have different effects from person to person. Sensitive individuals sometimes experience hives and other rashes. In such a stage, particulate matter found in air that is polluted can greatly aggravate the condition and so can chemicals like chlorine and certain detergents.

Symptoms of Hay Fever

Some of the symptoms of hay fever are as follows Coughing, Headache, Itching of nose, mouth, eyes, throat, ear and skin, Red and watery eyes, Runny and stuffy nose, Impaired smell, Sneezing, Sore throat, Wheezing, Fatigue and trouble in sleeping.

So what causes Hay Fever? Allergic Rhinitis is caused by various factors which may be both hereditary and environmental which contributes to a predisposition to this condition. Hay fever is usually triggered by plants that are wind-pollinated as opposed to insect-pollinated as the pollens in the latter are too big to pose an identifiable risk in this respect.

Plants known to cause allergic Rhinitis include trees like pine, birch, alder, cedar, hazel, horse chestnut, willow, poplar and olive, grasses like ryegrass and timothy and weeds like ragweed, plantain, mugwort and sorrel/dock.

Hay fever symptoms in adults are not hard to recognize. Symptoms related to allergic rhinitis are well defined and begin usually minutes after exposure causing vasodilation and increased vascular permeability. This produces nasal secretions and itching, sneezing, combined with nasal obstruction, eventually leading to nasal congestion. Later symptoms include conjunctival swelling and erythema. Other symptoms like swelling of the eyelids, lower eyelid venous stasis and middle ear effusion may also occur if not treated. Hay fever allergy is usually detected by either a blood test to monitor IgE antibody in the blood or a skin test wherein the skin is exposed to a minute amount of a known allergen after which the amount of IgE antibodies is measured.

Causes of Hay Fever

Hay fever is caused when the allergens enter our body. Hay fever allergens are airborne substances that enter our mouth, nose, throat, and lungs. Pollens are the most common hay fever allergen. They are the male sex cell of a plant. Wind carries these pollens to other plants of same species. Our immune system reacts to these allergens and produces an antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE) to resist it. This IgE releases certain chemicals like histamine, to flush the pollen out of the airways. There exist two basic types of allergic rhinitis, Seasonal allergic rhinitis and Perennial allergic rhinitis.



Remedies for Hay Fever

Add some honey to boiled minced grapefruit and lemon. Have this solution three times a day. To stop irritation in your nose, apply little petroleum jelly inside your nose. Boil chamomile in water and inhale fumes from the water.

There are many known remedies to treating allergic rhinitis, some treating the infliction where some treat the symptoms to ease the pain. Usually, medical practitioners suggest several anti-histamines to block the allergic reactions, whereas some prescribe certain steroids to reduce nasal inflammation. Inflammation can also be reduced by the use of decongestants. In drastic measures, patients suffering are administered immunotherapy which are allergy shots or sometimes face the removal of tissue in the nose (e.g., nasal polyps) or sinuses.

Hay fever treatment during pregnancy and for children who are very small may be problematic because of the strength of the medications used to treat hay fever, which can cause other reactions. There are plenty of hay fever natural remedies that can be used for children that can be used to treat hay fever rashes and rash symptoms, but many hay fever remedies for hives and reactions on the body, face and eyes include honey, making them unsuitable for babies. Hay fever remedies are however extremely handy in many situations, such as for pregnant women, when conventional drugs and medications are off the table. Several home remedies are recommended to treat hay fever, they include:

Chamomile is considered an excellent hay fever remedy. Chamomile oil can be smeared onto a tissue and inhaled or chamomile tea is known to help as one of the beneficial hay fever cures.
Aroma therapy or steam inhalation is known to help. Mixing a few drops of eucalyptus oil to hot warm and inhaling the steam is known to lessen the severity of the conditions.
Ginger is known to strengthen the immune system and work like an expectorant.
Garlic also helps clear congestion and is known to be effective against hay fever symptoms.
A mixture of Indian gooseberry and honey is also known to help.
Prevention of allergic rhinitis is known to be the best cure. It can be prevented by following these simple steps:

Take special efforts to keep the house free of all pollens or allergen like dust or pets.
Be sure to keep your mouth and nose covered when dusting.
Try as far as possible to stay indoors early in the morning as this is the time wherein the pollen count is usually the highest outdoors.
Periodically wash you carpets as they are known to gather dust and other allergens.
Wash your hair in the night before sleeping as pollen might stick to your hair and be deposited on your pillow leading to an extended exposure to them.
Stay away from people smoking as the smoke might be an allergen, if you smoke, reducing or quitting will reduce symptoms.
Application of petroleum jelly around the edge of your nostrils reduces the amount of pollen getting through.
Identify the hay fever season and prepare accordingly.
Diet for Hay Fever

Eat a clean, healthy and balanced diet. Include vitamin C in your diet. Avoid flour, sugar, salt and dairy products for one week. Drink plenty of filtered water and herbal tea. Eat good quality protein.