Hayfever - a pain in the... nose

Having never suffered from it I consider myself very lucky indeed. The racing snake came down with it in his 20’s, and has had it ever since, although over the last few years the effects seem to have attenuated.

The thing with hayfever is that no-one is immune, sorry tasteless joke that. But it’s true, just because you don’t get hayfever now, doesn’t mean that you will never get it, and if you currently suffer, it doesn’t mean that you’ll always have it.

Of course there are hayfever remedies available, but none really guarantee a completely sniffle free season, and they all have some negative issues to contend with, it’s simply a matter of deciding what’s worse, the hayfever, or the remedy’s side effects.

So what are the options?

Non-prescription, over the counter remedy – although they may not suit everybody, and there are drowsiness issues amongst others to consider. You should discuss with your pharmacist or physician.

Prescription only remedy – a few people started dying after combining these with grapefruit juice so probably best avoided unless desperate, or hate citrus. You should discuss with your physician.

Anti-allergy injections – these are only used in particularly severe cases and are given over a number of years. They do offer long-term protection from hayfever, but also can have some iffy side effects (like occasionally dying). You should discuss with your physician.

Nasal steriod sprays – reports suggest they work well. Me I’m not too keen on the idea of spraying steroids up my nose, but hey if it works. You should discuss with your physician.

Honey – the good old bee comes to hayfever sufferers rescue, but it has to be local honey. Local to you that is. You should start taking a teaspoonful of local honey everyday in the 4-6 weeks before your particular part of the hayfever season starts. The theory is that the bees will be using the local pollen to make their honey, this in turn will help desensitise you from the local pollen because you’re ingesting a small amount of it everyday and helping to build a resistance to it. A lot of people vouch for the honey remedies success and the racing snake is a devotee. But you do have to like honey, and a teaspoonful of something 10 times sweeter than sugar is a real tooth acher, (perhaps you should discuss with your dentist).

Petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) – yes, really. A light smear of Vaseline inside the nostrils will help to catch any pollen on its way in to irritate your nose. Some people also put a very light smear on their eyelashes to help catch the pollen going into their eyes. But it’s going to play havoc with your makeup. You should discuss with your stylist.

Nettle tea – it’s a natural anti-histamine, which is all that most over the counter remedies really are, however I don’t actually know anyone personally who drinks the stuff. You should discuss with your local ‘back to nature’ expert.

Vitamin C – although it’s known to strengthen the immune system does it work on hayfever? Ask everyone.

Cucumber – yes really, and no you don’t eat it, you slice it and place it on your eyes. It does wonders for cooling down hot itchy eyes. While you might look a bit funny sitting at your office desk wearing cucumber eyepads, the relief your eyes will get is worth it. You should discuss with your boss as seeing is seriously impaired .

Patience – you may eventually get cured just by time elapsing, but it’s years or decades not weeks for this passive remedy. You should discuss with your inner self.

Emigrate – there’s lots of places in the world where you won’t get hayfever, North Pole, South Pole, top of Everest, Moon...

Of course if you know better then don’t hold back, post your comments.