Pollen allergy and hay fever

Already before spring hazelnut and birch are blooming. The time of people suffering from pollen allergy and hay fever begins. Until late summer, the pollen of various trees, shrubs, grasses, cereals and herbs fly. They can cause sneezing, itching in the eyes and on the skin, and respiratory distress.

While many traditional medicine relieves the symptoms, naturopathy is more likely to a reconciliation of the entire organism, to normalize the functioning of the overreacting defense system again.

contents

• Symptoms affect the nose, eyes and general condition
• pollen times
• diagnosis
• Therapeutic options of conventional medicine
• Everyday help with hay fever
• Naturopathic treatment options

Symptoms affect the nose, eyes and general condition

In Germany alone, experts estimate the number of allergy sufferers at up to 25 million. 16 percent of Germans suffer from a pollen allergy. Colloquially known as hay fever, the "Pollinosis" or "rhinitis allergica" is usually with

• Swelling of the nasal mucous membranes,
• sneezing,
• Itching in the eyes,
• Shortness of breath and even
• Fever, so-called "hay fever", accompanied.

What is for many a beautiful flower meadow, is cause for pollen allergy sufferers unpleasant complaints. (Image: Wolfilser / fotolia.com)

Above all, the accompanying itching is perceived as tormenting by those affected, plus the feeling of exhaustion and fatigue. Because the nose is usually clogged, the seasonally forced mouth-breathers tend to cause dry mouth and additional upper respiratory tract infections. In particularly severe cases, allergy sufferers can hardly leave the apartment during the main flight time of "their" allergens. As a result of the irritation of the eyes can lead to conjunctivitis. The shift to the lower respiratory tract can also lead to an allergic asthma in pollen allergy sufferers, which can then become chronic asthma in the course of the disease.

"Cross-allergies" with food can be another consequence of hay fever. In birch pollen allergy sufferers, for example, intolerances to celery, tomatoes, hazelnuts and carrots often occur.

pollen times

In the spring the pollen flow of the tree blossoms and thus also the annual hay fever season starts, whereby the exact starting time and the intensity of the pollen quantity depend on climatic factors and with some plants on their biological rhythm. For example, birch pollen is more violent every two years. In the so-called "fattening years", statistically in even years, birches produce a lot of pollen. Patients with birch pollen allergy are particularly stressed during these years.

Through the pollen service of the German Meteorological Service, hay fever allergy sufferers can retrieve information about the extent and type of pollen in Germany.

Hazelnut and birch start to grow their pollen especially early in the year. (Picture magicbones / fotolia.com)

diagnosis

To differentiate a pollen allergy from other allergies, such as those against house dust mites and food, there are several methods:

• Disease course (anamnesis),
• Skin test (prick test) at the allergist ,
• Blood test and
• Provocation tests (nose and eyes).

In particular, the history is particularly important in pollen allergy sufferers, as it largely limits the allergen for further diagnostic options.

Therapeutic options of conventional medicine

Conventional physicians recommend getting help with symptom-reducing medicines early on. But neither decongestant sprays for the nose nor anti-inflammatory drops for the eyes pack the evil at the root.

As other symptom-reducing drugs, there are antihistamines in the pharmacy. These hay fever remedies, which are for the most part only pharmacies, but often cause fatigue and reduce attention. However, pharmaceutical development has also progressed in this area and there are now antihistamines that have fewer side effects.

Meanwhile, many physicians offer hyposensitization as a causal treatment, a treatment in which the immune system receives the allergen in ever higher doses as a syringe or in tablet form in order to induce immunological habituation. So far, this treatment extended over three years, so a short-term immunotherapy is currently offered, which is completed after six to eight weeks. However, the treatment is occasionally considered to be stressful, as it can lead to side effects such as allergic reactions and circulatory symptoms.

Everyday help with hay fever

In order to protect yourself from pollen allergy in everyday life, in addition to the symptom-alleviating drugs there are also different behaviors that reduce the effect of hay fever:

• Pay attention to pollen calendar and current report about pollen flight,
• Regular dusting reduces the pollen infestation inside the apartment,
• Showers and, if possible, wash hair before going to sleep so that the pollen does not get into bed,
• Change sheets and outerwear more often,
• fine-meshed window grilles provide protection against pollen and allow ventilation and
• use special allergy filter systems for vacuum cleaners, car and air purifier.

There are a number of home remedies for hay fever, such as black cumin oil, aloe vera or manuka honey.

Naturopathic treatment options

In natural medicine, pollen allergy is generally not understood as a problem of the nose, but of the entire human organism. Correspondingly, many therapeutic concepts in natural healing practice are geared to returning the overreactions of the immune system to a (harmless) external stimulus back into the healthy immunological regulatory capacity. In addition to homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture as well as the therapy with vital substances, the mode of action of self-blood therapy, hypnosis, Bach flower treatment and intestinal rehabilitation will be briefly exemplified.

The self-blood therapy, for example, should already be done in winter. In the process, blood is taken from the patient, which is either added to it unchanged, potentiated, mixed with medication or oxygen and possibly re-injected with UV light. Thus, various immune reactions are set in motion and it should lead to a "vegetative total switching" of the organism to recovery.

Hypnosis provides methods to strengthen the immune system and treat psychogenic causes of pollen allergy. (Image: RFBSIP / fotolia.com)

Therapeutic hypnosis is also suitable for favorably influencing the immune action. On the one hand, this is due to the non-specific effect of the hypnotic state of relaxation on the immune system. Second, allergies as intolerances have at least some psychogenic aspects that can be uncovered or symbolically altered in hypnosis. It is also possible to give direct suggestions for optimal functioning of the immune system or to gradually effect desensitization (through images, perception of smell, taste) similar to what is possible with phobias.

Bach Flower Therapy sees the allergy as a psychological or mental intolerance of the affected person expressed by the body. Hypersensitivity occurs when the actual underlying conflict or problem is projected outwards, namely harmless triggers. Commonly used flower remedies for allergies include Beech, Crab apple and Impatiens.

As a further, frequently used and well-effective method by non-medical practitioners to tackle allergies, the laboratory examination and subsequent intestinal rehabilitation should be mentioned. The goal is the establishment of a healthy intestinal flora, as this has significant influence on the defense functions. Microbiological drugs and a special diet are combined into a therapy that can mobilize your own self-healing powers and modulate the immune system. (jvs, ok, updated on 20.09.2018)