hay fever

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Hay fever season is upon us and will be the focus of this newsletter. Remember you can move between remedies if you need to. If your symptoms change, look to see if a different remedy matches more closely.

If you were to chop strong onions it would cause a reaction in the sensitive mucous membranes of your face. Your eyes and nose would tickle, itch and burn until they were both streaming continuously. Then the sneezing and itchy throat sets in unless you step away from the onions. Imagine cutting the same strong onions all day long for one to three months. That's how it feels to have hay fever.

Onions provide a good example of how homeopathy works. The medicine is based on 'like cures like' and the effects of the raw substance should be similar to the symptoms of the patient. Thus, the remedy Allium cepa , made from red onion, is excellent for symptoms of hay fever. The eyes can have an itching, burning sensation, be bloodshot and have a profuse, watery discharge. The nasal symptoms are also profuse, watery discharge with sneezing. The nasal discharge may burn the upper lip, particularly with a lot of blowing. The throat can be hoarse or tickling and there are dull headaches that are usually worse in a warm room.

If your hay fever symptoms are more focused around your eyes try the remedy Euphrasia. This one is general support for all eye symptoms whether it be eyes that constantly water or ones with a thick, yellow discharge. The lids may burn and swell and the person will want to blink a lot and be sensitive to light.

If your hay fever seems to be more located in the nose then try Sabadilla. People needing this remedy have spasmodic sneezing with a running nose. The nose itches like mad and the sense of smell can be heightened, especially to flowery scents and perfumes. The eyes are also affected and are red, burning and streaming. The throat might be sore and feel soothed by either warm food or drinks.

Onto the throat but first, the itchy palate or roof of the mouth. Wyethia is the remedy to use when the palate itches and there may be the sensation of something in the nasal passages. Additionally this remedy helps when the throat feels swollen and dry with a constant desire to clear the throat, but to little relief.

Finally to the lungs. If your hay fever is all of the above plus wheezing, Arsenicum album may be of help. The discharges of Arsenicum are burning and thin from the eyes and nose. This is the never ending leaky faucet nose. There is an intense thirst for either cold water or warm tea. People needing this remedy will be quite restless and upset with the way they feel and may find their sleep disrupted.

Try each of the remedies in a 30c strength to start and take it two to three times a day. If you do not have relief, check back and see if a different remedy might have covered your symptoms better. You might find that you need more than one remedy. That is fine but keep a note of how you felt before you started the new remedy. That way you can look back and judge how helpful it has been. You can also try a remedy made from Mixed grasses and pollens. Click one of the homeopathic pharmacy links for more information.