Spring is here and what a relief after all that gloomy weather.
However, it brings mixed blessings to those of you who suffer from seasonal hay fever.
If you have symptoms of sore red eyes, blocked sinuses and have bouts of sneezing as the po
llen count rises you may want to look at the possibilities of preventative forms of treatment before the season really picks up.
Acupuncture treatments prior to the start of the season can have huge benefits in preventing the symptoms from appearing at all.
Three weekly sessions should be sufficient to make significant improvements to your normal response to high pollen counts. As acupuncture works in aholistic way, your overall health should benefit too, so instead of battling on with the nuisance of having hay fever why not try something different this year?
Herbal Medicine is most effective if started about a month before the hayfever season starts.
Hayfever is caused by histamine, a chemical released by immune cells in response to an allergen; this causes the itchy eyes, unpleasant swelling of the mucous membranes and subsequent sneezing. It is the same chemical which causes the itchy rash of nettle stings – nettles naturally contain histamine, but when taken internally as a tea or tincture, the plant has an anti-histamine action.
Nettles are one of many plants which reduce the allergic response, other plants with anti-inflammatory action help relieve the discomfort, as do herbs which reduce excess catarrh.
In addition to the hayfever, a medical herbalist will look at any contributing factors such as poor digestion or stress and also discuss ways to alter the diet to help reduce the body's tendency towards allergic responses.
Book an appointment before March and bring this article with you to receive 20 per cent off the first consultation.
Megan Burt Dip.TM Dip.AC MBAcC RCHM and Claire Banks BSc MNIMH can be contacted at Sorrowlessfield Centre near Earlston
