TREATMENT OF ALLERGIES

Allergy Symptoms
Itching, sneezing, sore or irritated eyes and a runny nose — these are all common symptoms of hay fever and other allergies.Take anti-allergy medication if you wish —but take it before an allergy attack for the best results — or try one of the natural antihistamines suggested below. You'll also want to tackle pollen, house dust mites, pet dander and other microscopic menaces that send your immune system into overdrive.

Nature's antihistamines

• Nettle contains a substance that works as a natural antihistamine. Capsules of the freeze-dried leaf are sold in health-food shops. Take 500mg three times a day. 

• Ginkgo biloba has become renowned for its memory-boosting properties, but it can also be an effective allergy fighter. Ginkgo contains substances called ginkgolides, which can halt the activity of certain allergy-triggering chemicals (platelet activating factor, or PAF). Take up to 240mg a day. 

• Quercetin, the pigment that gives grapes their purple hue and puts the green in green tea, inhibits the release of histamine. Take one 500mg capsule twice a day (Alert Do not take this if already taking nettle, as nettle contains quercetin.) 

Try something fishy

• Omega-3 fatty acids help to counter inflammatory responses in the body, such as those triggered by allergies. Salmon, sardines, fresh tuna and mackerel are good sources of these fats. If you prefer the idea of fish oil capsules, take a supplement that provides 1000mg combined EPA/DHA (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexanoic acids) a day.

• Flax seed oil (or linseed oil) is another excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.Take 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil a day.You can add it to salad dressing or a glass of juice or blend it into a smoothie, but avoid heating it. 

  Try these simple soothers

• To soothe red, itchy, swollen eyes, dampen a flannel with cool water and place it over your eyes as often as you wish. 

• Saline nasal sprays have long been used to clear nasal mucus and can also help keep your nasal passages moisturized. But a recent study has shown that some nasal sprays contain a preservative that can actually damage the cells of your sinuses, so it may be safer to make your own. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in 250m1 of warm water. Fill a bulb syringe, lean over the sink and gently squirt the saline into your nose. 

  Protect yourself from hay fever symptoms

• Shelter indoors before a thunderstorm — and for up to three hours afterwards. Storms are preceded by high humidity, which makes pollen grains swell, burst and release their irritating starch, triggering a hay fever attack.

• When you have to go out, wear wraparound sunglasses to keep the

pollen away from your eyes.

• If you don't mind how you look, wear a face mask when u know you might be exposed to pollen. DIY stores sell effective and inexpensive small air filter masks designed for people working in dusty environments.

• You can also protect yourself outdoors with a 'pollen trap.' Dab a little Vaseline (petroleum jelly) just inside your nostrils — the theory is that the sticky layer will trap spores that are wafting around before you inhale them.

• Keep the windows closed when travelling by car and if the car is fitted with an air conditioner, choose the 'recirculate' steeling so as not to draw pollinated air into the car. Some cars ram be fitted with pollen filters — ask for details at your local garage or dealer.

• Wash your hair before going to bed so you don't transfer a headful of dust and pollen to your pillow.

  Don't give up gardening

• If You enjoy gardening, you might consider creating a hay-fever-friendly environment for yourself. Grow insect-pollinated plants such as geraniums, iris and clematis. Consider replacing the lawn with attractive paving — as mowing the grass creates clouds of pollen spores. Don't grow any new hedges and don't cut existing ones yourself. Do away with compost heaps, which produce mould spores.Ask Asthma UK (www.asthma.Org.uk) for a free copy of their Low-Allergen Garden pamphlet.This is full of practical advice about creating the type of garden that won't exacerbate your hay fever.

             Deal with dust mites

• Dust mites, nasty little flesh-eating monsters too small to be seen by the naked eye, inhabit your carpets, curtains and bedding.Their faeces can be a significant cause of allergies. To starve mites of the dust they eat — which is mostly made of shed skin cells — cover your mattress, divan base and pillows with covers made specifically to repel allergens. These covers are sold in pharmacies and department stores. 

• Vacuum your carpets regularly. If you can afford one, buy a vacuum cleaner that uses a double bag and a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. These machines can filter out even microscopic allergens. If you have an attractive wood or tile floor underneath your carpets, think about getting rid of the carpets altogether. 

• Change your sheets once a week and wash them in very hot water — at least 60°C — to kill the mites.

• Clear away clutter, which can gather dust and harbour dust mites.

• If you don't have a dehumidifier, it's a good idea to get one. Keeping the air in your home dry will significantly reduce the population of dust mites, which die when humidity levels fall below 45 per cent. 

  Reduce reactions to animal allergens

• Keep your pet out of the bedroom. Allergic reactions can be triggered by animal fur, dead skin, dried saliva and dander —particles of scurf from the coats of animals. All of these allergens linger even when the animal leaves the room. 

• Some dogs are perfectly happy in a traditional outdoor.

When a kiss is not just a kiss ... 

Avoiding known food or drug allergens may sound easy, but sometimes you can be exposed in less-than-obvious ways.Take the case of a young woman who had a life-threatening allergic reaction to shellfish simply when she kissed her boyfriend. He had eaten prawns an hour before he kissed her good night.Almost immediately, her lips swelled up, her throat began to close, she started wheezing, hives appeared, her stomach cramped and her blood pressure plummeted. She survived, but the lesson is clear: if your partner is severely allergic to a particular food, you must give it up as well. No one knows whether simply brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth out would do any good, so it is better not to take the chance at all.

  A military manoeuvre against allergies  

• This remedy was found effective in tests carried out by the US army. Eat honey made in your immediate neighbourhood and, if you can get hold of it, chew the honeycomb it comes in, too.The theory is that by eating honey produced by local bees, you can desensitize your immune system to local pollens. Starting two months before the hay fever season, eat 2 tablespoons of the honey a day, and chew the beeswax for 5 to 10 minutes. Continue until the hay fever season is over. 

• kennel. If you are allergic to your dogs, that might be the kindest solution for both of you. 

• Give your pet a bath once a week. Bathing can remove up to 85 per cent of pet dander. You can use plain water or a proprietary pet shampoo. 

 Clear the air 

• Modern air filters can capture air-borne allergens and may bring some relief from allergies to mould, pollen and pet dander though one study showed that they only significantly reduced cat allergens in uncarpeted homes. HEPA filters tend to work best. If you use an HEPA filter in your bedroom, keep the door closed so that it can effectively filter just the air in that room.

• Studies show that vigorous household cleaning significantly reduces dust, mould, dander and other common allergens. So give your home a thorough clean twice a year — once in spring and again in autumn.Wash every scrubbable surface with diluted bleach, from the insides of cupboards to the kickboards at the bottoms of kitchen base units. Clean furniture with a damp cloth. If your allergies are severe, you may want to pay someone to do the cleaning.

• Basements and cellars are havens for moulds, mildew and dust mites, especially if they become wet in rainy weather. Run a dehumidifier all the time in a damp basement — and empty its reservoir regularly.

• A tumble dryer can throw out masses of fine particles of lint and dust. Make sure the tumble dryer's hose is properly sealed and ideally vents outdoors, so that it doesn't send allergy-triggers floating through the house.