Hay Fever

[Wybert Takahashi]

Has anybody stopped hay fever?

[mike_the_wino]

I have found that by driving from work to home my hay fever is greatly relieved. I suspect I am allergic to the damn, dirty hippies in Mendocino.

Try a spoonfull of local honey, twice per day, just make sure it's your 'local' not some one else's. I have also been told that the allergy shots work well but I hate both doctors and needles so I would rather sneeze and take OTC meds than let those feckers see, much less touch, me.

[Wybert Takahashi]

It doesn't make sense to me, being allergic to flowers. My hypothosis is that it is Nature's revenge for not eating her.

That is to say, a diet far away from nature. Or something. That is to say, too much dairy, or grains, or too little fat, vegetables, fruit, meat and fishies.

Anecdotal and inconclusive evidence is, so far, good.

I might try honey as well.

[Lars]

Most likely, you're just allergic to grass.

So tell the wife you can't mow the yard, she should do it, and the beer you're drinking is to get your histamines up, which will eventually lead to immunization.

[Guest Panzer Boxb]

My sister's family went to a local acupuncturist and were symptom free for almost a full year. Another visit and they were good to go again.

Personally, I just take drugs when it starts, which is usually only when I manage to bury my face in tall grass.

[Wildhack]

My neighbor swears that Claritin is a miracle cure for her hayfever. And I believe that Zirtec is also another one of these new class of drugs that are used to treat allergies (and that are now sold over the counter). I'm not sure how they work, but I believe they are supposed to be much safer to use on a regular basis than anti histamines or decongestants are?

GL

[Michael Emrys]

I can testify that Claritin does not make you drowsy as some other antihistamines can. It gives me a modicum of relief from my allergies, but I don't think I would vote it a wonder drug. I still fall back on a Benzadrex inhaler once in a while to relieve stuffiness.

Michael

[ParaBellum]

I had very bad hay fever until about 10 years ago, since then it has become less of a problem each year. I still suffer from it maybe 2-3 weeks each summer and take antihistamines when it really gets bad, but that's not been the case more than maybe 5-10 days each year lately. The antihistamines I take today are FAR better than the stuff back in the late 80s, today they don't make me feel drowsy any more. If the radio in the morning tells me that there'll be large amount of certain kinds of pollen in the air I'll take a pill and barely notice any effects of hay fever over the course of the day.

[Wybert Takahashi]

Did something change 10 years ago? And each year?

[ParaBellum]

Did something change 10 years ago? And each year?

I guess I just became less sensitive to grass pollen in general.

[Guest Panzer Boxb]

I've known a few people that have gone both ways, some from not being bothered to being severely allergic, with others having experienced the exact opposite. I fall somewhat into the latter category. As a youth, I experienced severe allergies. The past few years my reaction has greatly diminished unless I am nose deep in grass.

[Wybert Takahashi]

Someone in an apron (a doctor?) told me stuff like hay fever is related to a more general state of inflammation, e.g caused by lack of fatty acids, lack of anti-oxidents (e.g fruit and veg). Mumbo-jimbo, I don't know.

How is acupuncture supposed to help

[Peterk]

I took a 2 week vacation to Tanzania a couple of years ago and it seems to have killed my hayfever completely.

Can't explain it really, but I guess if your body adjusts to an environment where there is so much more dust and pollen than where you come from, you get desensitized a bit.