The symptoms of allergic rhinitis are similar to those of the common cold, but they are not caused by infection. Instead they represent an inappropriate response to a normally harmless substance. Your immune system reacts to the substances as if it were a dangerous invader, leading to inflammation and irritation.
The most familiar form is seasonal allergic rhinitis, also called hay fever or pollen allergy. Tree pollens are the main culprit in spring , grasses in summer, and weeds in autumn. If you are allergic to more than one kind of pollen, your symptoms may last for several months each year. The year –round symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis result from such triggers as mould , animal dander, dust-mite droppings, certain foods and environmental toxins.
The runny nose, frequent sneezing and watery , itchy eyes of allergic rhinitis ae triggered by exposure to an allergen (allergy-causing substance) , such as pollen or dust. You can take steps to avoid exposure, and remedies will provide some respite, but the best way to increase resistance is to strengthen your immune system.
Airborne allergen – Pollen in the atmosphere is the most common cause of seasonal allergic rhinitis. Pictured above are the pollen grains from the Artemisia plant enlarge 1500 times.
PREVENTION
Bolster your immune system by eating a healthy diet, with foods rich in vitamin B and C *as well as flavonoids , Vitamin C supplements may also be helpful.
Seasonal allergic rhinitis: Pollen grains are so plentiful and minuscule that it is difficult to avoid them completely, but there are ways to reduce the impact of exposure to them . Take the following measures in the three months before your hay fever usually begins.
- Every day, eat a teaspoon of locally produced, non- treated honey that contains wax cappings from honeycomb cells. This is thought to strengthen resistance to local plant pollens.
- Drink a daily cup of ginseng or Echinacea tea to strengthen your immune system.
During hay fever season
- Stay indoors with the windows closed whenever feasible, especially in the early evening when pollen levels often peak.
- Damp-dust regularly.
- Clear pollen from the air with an ionizer or a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
- Wear wraparound sunglasses and/or a cyclist’s face mask when you go out.
- Trap pollen by applying petroleum jelly in and around your nostrils.
- Keep car windows and air intakes closed.
- Avoid city centres and smoky rooms, since polluted air traps pollen.
- Put on clean clothes when you come home, and launder clothes frequently.
- Stay indoors before a thunderstorm and two to three hours after it’s over. The high humidity that precedes a storm makes pollen grains swell and burst , releasing particles of pollen starch into the air.
- Use a mask when cleaning dusty, mouldy or extremely dirty areas.
Other types of allergic rhinitis: If you are allergic to dust mites , see articles about Asthma . If you you think you have a food sensitivity , then look for articles on Food Sensitivity.
TIPS:
Sore nostrils : Protect your nostrils from the moisture of runny nose by smoothing petroleum jelly. Soothe already inflamed nostrils with a cotton handkerchief soaked in cooled chamomile tea.
TREATMENT
General measures
- Splash or sponge your face frequently to remove pollen from your skin and eye area.
- Bathe itchy , runny eyes with half a litre of cooled boiled water containing a pinch of salt or two teaspoons of witch hazel. Use the same solution to bathe inflamed nostrils.
- Press the tips of your forefingers firmly in the small depression (point LI 20) under the cheekbone to the side of each nostril for two minutes. Repeat every two hours.
- Press the forefinger and middle finger of each side of the bridge of your nose (bitong point) and hold for few breaths. Repeat every two hours.
Herbal remedies
- Inhale the steam from half a litre of hot water to which you have added a tablespoon of dried chamomile or yarrow.
- For hay fever, drink two or three cups a day of tea made from eyebright, elderflower , lemon balm, Echinacea or chamomile.
- To help dry up a runny nose, drink a cup of nettle , elderflower, ginger, cinnamon or clove tea up to three times a day.
- Reduce nasal congestion by adding garlic to food, or take garlic capsules or tablets each day.
- Have a daily cup of tea made from goldenseal, eyebright , elderflower or chamomile.
Caution look for safety: Herbal Medicine for body system-safety precaution
Homeopathy
- Allium: for the times when your symptoms are at their most severe.
- Euphrasia: when mainly the eyes are affected.
- Sabadilla: for persistent sneezing.
- Wyethia: for itching of throat or mouth, or when the Eustachian tube is effected.
When to get medical help
- When your symptoms are new , severe or persistent.
Get help right away if:
- You experience wheezing or have difficulty breathing.
See also: Asthma, Food-allergies-a-unexplained-symptoms. Colds, Eye Irritation and Discharge, Headache, Food Sensitivity.
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