Spring Hay fever in Perth – November Blog

The clinic has been particularly busy with cases of hay fever this year. It is easy to treat with homeopathy and naturopathic dietary management, so it is a rewarding and satisfying condition to deal with.

Perth has one of the highest pollen counts in the world. The huge number of wildflowers, combined with the high winter rainfall, means  that the months from September through to January are fraught with grief for sufferers of allergic rhinitis – as hay fever is technically known.

Casuarina and bottle brush are especially bad for many hay fever sufferers. Then there are the introduced species like ragweed and Paterson’s curse. Grass pollens are also a problem for some. This includes wheat, which is a type of grass – and Perth is surrounded by wheat growing regions.

It is worth noting that people with hay fever who are allergic to grass pollens usually have a cross sensitivity to wheat in the diet, which is best excluded.

One option, if the offending allergen is obvious, is to desensitise to that specific pollen with homeopathic dilutions. This is akin to the orthodox approach with injections, but is taken orally in much lower dose and is without the side effects. You may read more about our approach to allergy desensitising here.

The other difference to medical treatment is that we will always treat the patient to improve the underlying allergic predisposition, not just treat the symptoms. Treating the symptoms – especially with drugs – will only suppress the problem, which will inevitably surface somewhere else in the body.

Homeopathic and naturopathic philosophy teaches us that any health condition is actually the “best attempt” by the body to maintain balance. The symptoms themselves are a healthy response, like the red light on your car dashboard that alerts you to an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. Just suppressing the symptoms is like disconnecting the wiring to the red light!

So the homeopath will always treat with a constitutional remedy that covers all aspects of the patient, not just the hay fever symptoms. Once the body is in balance, the symptoms themselves will cease of their own accord. The end result of the suppressive approach of drugs will never cure the problem and may result in even poorer health and more intense symptoms.

I have many patients that I have treated through one season and their hay fever has never returned again. That is the beauty of homeopathic and naturopathic treatment. In the last month I have seen several people for other reasons who have thanked me that they are now free of their allergy this spring, which is very gratifying.

Because it takes a while for the constitutional treatment to eradicate or permanently modify the hay fever, acute remedies are given that work immediately – usually within minutes – on the symptoms like sneezing, runny eyes, watery nose and itching of ears, eyes, nose, throat and palate. Everyone’s symptom pattern is different, so individual remedies need to be given.

Naturopathic dietary support is important to help hay fever sufferers. A poor diet will intensify symptoms. Pro-inflammatory items such as sugar and refined carbohydrates should be removed and anti-inflammatory foods need to be included, which means mainly vegetables that are rich in flavonoids and antioxidants, including quercetin and Vitamin C.

A healthy gut is important for a normal immune response. The bowel microflora – also known as the microbiome – is by far the most important part of our immune system. A good diet feeds and promotes the species that help dampen allergic responses. Sometimes supplementation with probiotics may help hay fever. But even without radical changes in diet the homeopathic acute treatment will begin working immediately.

For more information please visit our main page on the treatment of hay fever, rhinitis and sinusitis.