Hay Fever

Preventions

Nutrition/Diet: do not eat histamine-rich food, which includes fermented foods, aged cheese, meat, alcohol, limit diary, sugar and white-flour products intake, do not eat foods which cross-react with pollen allergy, consume food which will enhance your immune system.

Lifestyle Preventions: monitor pollen forecast to limit outdoor activities when pollen levels are high, wash your hands and face and change your clothes upon returning home, clean and vacuum your home (and car) regularly, change and wash bedding frequently to get rid of dust mites, stop smoking to not irritate your respiratory tract, get enough sleep and reduce stress to keep your immune system strong

Environmental Preventions: keep the windows closed when pollen levels are high or mount pollen blocking screens on your windows, use air purifier with HEPA filters to trap airborne allergens, use humidifier to weigh down airborne allergens and maintain optimal indoor humidity to reduce respiratory symptoms, do not expose yourself to secondhand smoke to not irritate your respiratory tract, keep your pets clean, well groomed and healthy – pets accumulate airborne allergens in their coat

Causes

Nutrition/Diet: food does not cause hay fever, but people allergic to certain pollens can have an allergic reaction upon contact with certain foods in their raw form, which can worsen the symptoms:

Birch pollen → apples, carrots, celery, almonds, hazelnuts, peaches, plums, cherries, kiwis, pears, potatoes

Ragweed pollen → melons, bananas, zucchini and cucumbers, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea; spices: anise, fennel, cumin

Grass pollen → peaches, celery, tomatoes, melons, oranges

Mugwort pollen → celery, carrots, mustard, sunflower seeds, chamomile, parsley, coriander (cilantro); spices: anise, fennel, cumin

Alder pollen → apples, almonds, celery, cherries, hazelnuts, peaches, pears, parsley

See if there's a certain type of pollen that may cause your hayfever.

Lifestyle Causes: not cleaning your home can lead to increased number of dust mites, poorly ventilated and humid rooms can lead to mould and fungi outbreak

Environmental Causes: plant pollen, dust, feathers, animal danders, mould, fungi

Remedies

Lifestyle Remedy: get enough sleep and reduce stress to strengthen your immune system, drink plenty of water to thin mucus secretions and relieve congestion, perform steam inhalation to loosen nasal congestion, rinse nasal passages and eyes when irritated

Ingestion Remedy: goldenseal and echinacea tea, garlic, pineapple, raw honey, nutritional yeast

How  the ingestion remedies help and possible side-effects/interactions

Goldenseal contains berberine, which has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and supports immune system. Additionally, the herb aids digestive, skin, eye and oral health. On the other hand, berberine could increase the risk of bleeding when taken with blood thinners, so be cautious if suffering with high blood pressure.

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/goldenseal

Echinacea contains active substances that boost immune function, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and have hormonal, antiviral, and antioxidant effects. It may also reduce the effectiveness of medications that suppress the immune system, so people receiving organ transplants who must take immunosuppressant medications should avoid this herb.

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/echinacea

Garlic has been studied for its potential immune-boosting properties, largely attributed to its high concentration of compounds like allicin. Allicin is thought to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties, which might help fight off cold viruses.

Pineapple contains vitamin C which boosts immune system and bromelain enzyme which has been shown to be effective in relieving hay fever symptoms by working as a natural antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, and decongestant. Bromelain breaks down proteins that cause inflammation, but also thins mucus in respiratory tract providing relief.

Raw honey, specifically local and unprocessed honey, contains small amounts of the same pollen that causes allergies, which can help build up a tolerance to the allergen over time. Honey also contains anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce symptoms such as runny nose and itchy eyes.

Nutritional yeast contains beta-glucans, which stimulates the immune system to produce more antibodies to combat allergens and reduce inflammation. Nutritional yeast has a bit cheesy flavour and it’s best to use it in cooking.