HEALTH Tackling hay fever and allergic rhinitis

Woes of the nose


Herbal Medicine
Sabine Hiller

Click here for Part 1

Part 2
In the first of this three-part series of articles on hay fever and other forms of allergic rhinitis, we looked at the symptoms and causes. In this article we will deal lifestyle changes, in particular dietary ones, that can help to ease the symptoms.

What you can do
Stress has been shown to aggravate the problem of any allergic condition, including hay fever. If you are a hay fever sufferer, it is a good idea to establish a daily routine that includes stress relieving activities such as relaxation exercises, meditation or yoga before the season hits you. Have a look at your stress triggers and while you may not be able to eliminate them, there may be ways to make life easier for yourself. If anxiety is a perennial problem, then talking to somebody professionally may be a good idea.

Exposure
For hay fever, the most obvious step to take is to limit exposure to pollen. This may mean keeping the windows closed in the morning, for example. Try to keep gardening to cool and cloudy days or just after it has rained (which shouldn’t be too difficult in this country!). Wearing goggles and long-sleeved shirts in the garden may also help. Wash laundry at at least 60ºC – or using a warm-water wash followed by two rinses – to remove dander and pollens and to kill dust mites. Frequent vacuuming will also prevent a build up of pollen and other allergens in the house.

Diet
Quercetin, a flavonoid found in many fruit and veg and certain herbal medicines, inhibits the release of anti-histamine from mast cells. It also has additional anti-inflammatory effects due to the inhibition of several other inflammatory compounds. While current studies are as yet inconclusive, upping your intake of foods containing quercetin is advisable and may well help to ease symptoms. These include unpeeled apples, onions (especially red onions), berries, capers, red grapes, broccoli, tomatoes (especially organically grown ones) and citrus fruits. Quercetin is also a promising agent for cancer prevention, and it lowers blood pressure and is generally a valuable anti-oxidant, so upping your intake of those foods is definitely a good idea!
Foods rich in carotenoids are another way to help your body to fight the onslaught of allergens during the hay fever season. Carotenoid-rich  foods include carrots, apricots, mango, sweet potato, butternut squash,  dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard and kale.
Spirulina, a blue-green algae, has been shown in a recent study to reduce the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Whether this action is due to its high content in carotenoids or some other mechanism, is not yet clear. However, when buying Spirulina you want to make sure you use a reputable product, as blue-green algae easily absorb heavy metals and it is essential that the product was grown in clean, unpolluted waters.
Other dietary anti-oxidants may also play a role. People with low vitamin C levels in their blood have higher levels of histamine. There is preliminary evidence that supplementing 500mg/day may be useful when taken as a preventative measure and throughout the hay fever season.
Omega-3 fatty acids help to fight inflammation, and you can ensure you are getting enough by regularly including nuts and seeds as well as fatty fish in your diet. Use flaxseed (also called linseed) oil in your dressings, or make your own dairy spread: just leave a chunk of butter out of the fridge for a few hours and then mix in a decent amount of flaxseed oil before returning it to the fridge to firm up again. You can also sprinkle ground flax seeds on your porridge or cereal, or add walnuts to a green salad for yet another source of essential fatty acids in your diet.

Sabine Hiller BSc(Hons) MIIMH MNIMH – is a qualified professional medical herbalist based in Westport. She is a member of the Irish Institute of Medical Herbalists and the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK). She can be contacted at 098 35909.

Click here for Part 1