Laurann O'Reilly: Here are some top tips and remedies to ease hay fever symptoms this year

It’s a beautiful time of year with our longer evenings, a little more sunshine and the flowers are blossoming.
However, for some hay fever sufferers it can be a real challenge as there can also be higher levels of pollen in the air, resulting in an increase in those dreaded hay fever symptoms.

Here, nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly and owner of Nutrition By Laurann, explains what hay fever is and guides us through her top tips and remedies to soothe those symptoms.

What is Hay Fever?

Hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis) is an allergic reaction to pollen, usually when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen is a fine powder from plants.

Hay fever is usually worse between late March and September, especially when it’s warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest (HSE).

If you’re a hay fever sufferer, you are not alone as according to the Asthma society of Ireland “one in five people in Ireland suffer from hay fever”.

What are the symptoms of hay fever?

Whilst there are numerous symptoms associated with hay fever, here are some of the main ones which include sneezing, impaired/loss of smell, itchy/blocked/runny nose, headaches and red/itchy/watery eyes.

*if you are experiencing any of these symptoms why not have a chat with your local pharmacist or GP

Top tips on how to manage your symptoms

1) Use Vaseline: The Asthma Society of Ireland recommends applying Vaseline around nostrils when outdoors, as this can help to trap pollen and prevent it from entering your nasal passages.

2) Sunglasses: Whilst the sunglasses come in handy for protecting our eyes from the sun, they can also serve another purpose in minimising the amount of pollen entering our eyes. The Asthma Society of Ireland suggests that “wraparound sunglasses” may be most effective.
Tip: If your eyes have been exposed to pollen, they also recommend splashing your eyes with cold water to help flush it out and it can also act to soothe and cool your eyes.

3) Jump In The Shower: If you have been outdoors and exposed to pollen, it’s been recommended to “wash your hair and change your clothes if you have been outdoors for an extended period of time” (The Asthma Society of Ireland).

4) Morning Exercise: If you are particularly sensitive to pollen, The Asthma Society of Ireland suggests “exercising in the morning rather than the evening when there are higher rates of pollen falling”, it can be a great way to clear your head and start the day too.

5) Laundry Care: As mentioned above, pollen can attach to our clothes, so if you are quite pollen sensitive, it may be worth drying your clothes indoors or shaking them outside before bringing them in, particularly bedclothes (The Asthma Society of Ireland).

6) Pets: It’s not just your clothes that get exposed to pollen but your pets may carry it too. The Asthma Society of Ireland suggests “minimising contact with pets that have been outdoors and are likely to carry pollen”.

7) Use A Daily Pollen Tracker: As part of their Hay fever Campaign, The Asthma Society of Ireland have teamed up with allergy solutions company ALK to create a pollen tracker which “provides daily updates on pollen levels around Ireland including regional prediction levels for the current and following day”.
Pollen Tracker: nutritionbylaurann.ie/asthmasocietyofireland_pollentracker

8) Keep Windows Closed: Open windows can often result in pollen entering your home, so if you’re very pollen sensitive, it’s been recommended to “keep windows closed at night-time or when the pollen count is high”.

Hay Fever Remedies

Whilst there is no cure for hay fever, it is possible in most cases to relieve the symptoms

- Vitamin C: Whilst this vitamin serves many functions, it also acts as a natural antihistamine by reducing the amount of histamine in your body. As a result, it might help to ease mild symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, congestion and watery eyes due to hay fever. Food Sources: citrus fruit (such as oranges, lemons and limes), peppers, berries, broccoli, brussels sprouts and potatoes. Nutritional Supplement: Ideally, it’s best to get your vitamins and minerals from your foods, however if your fruit and vegetable intake is low vitamin C can also be found in supplement form such as the Solgar Vitamin C.

- Biotin: Biotin is a B vitamin (vitamin B7), which helps to maintain the healthy function of mucous membranes which can be found in your nose, sinuses, throat and even the tear ducts. Food Sources: Fish, egg yolks, avocados, green leafy vegetables and nuts to get your recommendations. Nutritional Supplement: Biotin can also be purchased in supplement form such as the Solgar Biotin.

- Herbal Teas: Chamomile, liquorice and nettle tea all contain antioxidants and antihistamines. These are thought to have the ability to block histamine activity and other proinflammatory molecules involved in hay fever. A great tea combination is peppermint and liquorice, which can work to relieve congestion and mucus around the nose.
A nice cup of soothing warm tea can also help to clear that stuffy nose.

- Elderflower: Can help dry and tone mucous membranes which line the nose and throat, reducing sneezing and a runny and blocked nose from hay fever. This can be purchased as a drink or found as a herbal tea. Recommendation: Why not check out the Elderflower drink range from the Tipperary food producers ‘Irish Hedge Grow’ www.irishhedgerow.ie

- Garlic: With the active ingredient ‘allicin’, it helps to boost the body’s natural immune system and is also a great decongestant and anti-inflammatory to reduce mild hay fever symptoms. Tip: Why not add a couple of cloves of chopped or crushed garlic to your sauces, curries or stir fries to give your meal a healthy boost. Nutritional Supplement: If you don’t fancy the flavour or smell of garlic in your meals, it’s possible to get it in supplement form, such as the Sona Odourless Garlic capsules

- Onions: Not only are onions a super versatile ingredient, they’re also high in a compound called ‘quercetin’ which is a potent natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory, shown to help hay fever sufferers. Tip: Whether it’s breakfast, in your sandwiches at lunch time, omelettes, stir-fries, curries, soups, the list is endless. There are so many ways which we can incorporate onions into our meals for an anti-hay fever boost.

- Anti-Inflammatory Spices: Why not try some anti-inflammatory spices such as turmeric & Ginger. The combination of these two herbs is a specific remedy for allergic rhinitis, hay fever and colds. Histamine is by nature inflammatory, so adding plenty of anti-inflammatory spices into your diet could be helpful in alleviating nasal swelling. Tip: Why not spice up your juice or meals with these spices which can be found in fresh or dried forms.

Nutritional Supplement

If adding these to your meals doesn’t suit your taste buds, these can also be purchased in supplement forms such as the Terra Nova Freeze Dried Turmeric & Ginger capsules.

- Luffa Complex Drops: A combination of natural herbal ingredients which can help cleanse the nasal passages of pollen and other allergens such as dust. It also helps to restore fluid and moisture in the nasal passages, making the nose feel soothed and more comfortable and be used by children from two years onwards.

Nutritional Supplement: A.Vogel Luffa Complex Drops (simply add a few drops to a little water) or it can also be found as a nasal spray in A.Vogel Pollinosan. *Always ask the advice of your GP or pharmacist before taking remedies or medications, particularly if you are currently taking medications, have pre-existing medical conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding.