Natural Remedies for Hay Fever and Allergy Relief

March 25, 2008

Natural Remedies for Hay Fever and Allergy

ReliefFrom

Cathy Wong,

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our

Medical Review Board

What is Hay Fever?Hay fever, also

called allergic rhinitis, occurs when your immune system overreacts to

normally harmless airborne particles, causing symptoms such as a runny

nose, itching of your nose, and sneezing.

Hay fever is one of the most common allergies, affecting about 40 million

people in the United States.

Hay Fever Symptoms

Runny nose, nasal congestion

Sneezing

Watery eyes

Itchy, watery eyes, nose or throat

Coughing

Postnasal drip

Fatigue

Facial pressure or pain

Natural Remedies for Hay Fever and Allergy

ReliefButterbur

The herb butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is a shrub-like plant

that grows in northern Asia, Europe, and parts of North America.

Extracts made from the herb have been used in folk medicine for

migraines, stomach cramps, coughs, allergies, and asthma.

Butterbur is being studied as a natural allergy treatment. Although how

butterbur works is still not known, it is thought to work in a similar

way to allergy medications by blocking the action of histamine and

leukotrienes, inflammatory chemicals involved in allergic reactions.

In a study involving 186 people with hay fever, participants took a

higher dose of butterbur (one tablet three times a day), a lower dose

(one tablet two times a day) or placebo. After two weeks, both the higher

and lower dose relieved allergy symptoms compared to the placebo, but

there were significantly greater benefits seen with the higher

dose.

In another study, 330 people with hay fever were given a butterbur

extract (one tablet three times a day), the antihistamine drug

fexofenadine (Allegra), or a placebo. Butterbur was as effective as

fexofenadine at relieving sneezing, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, and

other hay fever symptoms, and both were more effective than the

placebo.

Side effects of butterbur may include indigestion, headache, fatigue,

nausea, vomiting, diarrha, or constipation. Pregnant or nursing women,

children, or people with kidney or liver disease should not take

butterbur.

Butterbur is in the ragweed plant family, so people who are allergic to

ragweed, marigold, daisy, or chrysanthemum should not use

butterbur.

The raw herb as well as teas, extracts, and capsules made from the raw

herb should not be used because they contain substances called

pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can be toxic to the liver and kidneys and

may cause cancer.

It is possible to remove the pyrrolizidine alkaloids from butterbur

products. For example, in Germany, there is a safety limit to the level

of pyrrolizidine alkaloids allowed in butterbur products. The daily

recommended dose cannot exceed 1 microgram per day.

Quercetin

Quercetin is an antioxidant that belongs to a class of water-soluble

plant substances called flavonoids. Although there is still isn't enough

research to conclude that it is effective for hay fever, quercetin is

thought to prevent the release of the inflammatory chemical histamine

from immune cells called mast cells. Histamine is involved in allergic

symptoms such as sneezing and itching.

Quercetin is found naturally in certain foods, such as apples (with the

skin on), berries, red grapes, red onions, capers, and black

tea.

Quercetin is also available in supplement form. A typical dose for hay

fever is between 200 and 400 milligrams three times a day.

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are a family of plant pigments, the most popular being

beta-carotene. Although no randomized controlled trials show that

carotenoids are effective treatments for hay fever, a lack of carotenoids

in the diet is thought to promote inflammation in your airways.

There are no guidelines or research that suggests a certain target intake

for hay fever. Many people don't even get one serving of carotenoid-rich

foods a day. If this is you, consider striving for one to two servings a

day.

Good sources of carotenoids include apricots, carrots, pumpkin, sweet

potato, spinach, kale, butternut squash, and collard greens.

Identifying Food Sensitivities

Just like we can have allergies to substances in the air, some people

with hay fever may react to certain foods. Our diet tends to follow the

seasons, so if there are foods you eat more if in the spring, you may

wish to note if your symptoms get worse after you eat them and bring them

to your doctor's attention.

People with

lactose intolerance may notice that they feel more congested after

consuming dairy products. Preliminary studies suggest that some people

with allergies to grass pollens may also react to tomatoes, peanuts,

wheat, apple, carrot, celery, peach, melon, eggs and pork, and that

people with ragweed allergies may also react to foods in the

Cucurbitaceae family, such as cucumber and melon.

An elimination-and-challenge diet is usually conducted to identify any

food sensitivities. It involves the removal of suspected foods from the

diet for at least a week, followed by the systematic re-introduction of

these foods to isolate any foods that may be aggravating hay fever

symptoms. Known food allergies and sensitivities are not tested. It

should be done under the guidance of a health professional.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of essential fatty acid that we must

obtain through our diet. Research suggests that may they reduce the

production of inflammatory chemicals in the body (prostaglandin E2 and

inflammatory cytokines).

Although there are no randomized controlled trials showing that omega-3

fatty acids are effective treatments for hay fever, there are

associations. For example, one German study involving 568 people found

that a high content of omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells or in the

diet was associated with a decreased risk of hay fever.

Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids are:

Fish oil capsules: providing 1 to 1.2 grams of EPA and DHA per day.

Side effects of fish oil may include indigestion and a fishy aftertaste.

Fish oil has a mild " blood-thinning " effect. If taking warfarin

(Coumadin) or heparin or are at risk of bleeding complications, do not

take fish oil without consulting a doctor. Fish oil should not be taken

two weeks before or after surgery. Flaxseed oil: 1 tablespoon two to three times a day.

Walnuts, 1 ounce (14 halves) a day At the same time, reducing foods rich in arachidonic acid might be

wise. One study found an association between arachidonic acid and hay

fever. Although arachidonic acid is essential for health, too much has

been found to worsen inflammation. This means reducing intake of egg

yolks, red meat, and shellfish.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a healing practice that originated in China over 5,000

years ago. Although it has been studied for hay fever, there are too few

studies to draw any conclusions about whether it might help.

In a German study published in the journal Allergy, 52 people with

hay fever received acupuncture (once a week) and a Chinese herbal tea

designed to address allergic symptoms (three times a day) or sham

acupuncture and a regular herbal tea.

fter 6 weeks, people who received the acupuncture and herbal treatment

noticed an 85 percent improvement on a " global assessment of

change " scale compared to 40 percent in the control group. They also

noticed a significant improvement in the quality of life questionnaire.

There was no difference however in symptoms.

In another study, 72 children with hay fever received either acupuncture

(twice a week) or sham acupuncture. After eight weeks, the real

acupuncture was more effective at improving symptoms and was associated

with more symptom-free days compared to sham acupuncture.

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Enomoto T, Nagasako-Akazome Y, Kanda T, Ikeda M, Dake Y. Clinical effects

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Clin Immunol. 16.5 (2006): 283-289.

Gray RD, Haggart K, Lee DK, Cull S, Lipworth BJ. Effects of butterbur

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March 26, 2008

Hey Lynn,

Wow what a list of helpful things for asthma and allergies. You have

done a lot of home work on this one. I would like to tell everybody

about my daughter and her family. My daughter is 30 and was diagnosed

with asthma and allergies when she was 6. It was a very hard battle

for my daughter and myself as she was growing up. I have no idea how

many nights I held her while she gasp for every breath. Pretty scary

stuff! Spring and fall were always terrible for her, and every year

we would have to go to the Dr. several times. Seemed she was always

on antibiotics and or steroids. I worried so much realizing that the

antibiotics and steroids were so hard on her health. She started

taking allergies shots when she was 6, and continued to take them

until she was 29. She has two children, and of course they have

asthma and allergies also, and she was going through the same thing

with them that I went through with her. Asthma is a very dangerous

disease, several people die from it every year, and breathing issues

are the biggest thing that children are taken to the Dr. or hospital

for every year. A little over a year ago she changed over to a

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All 100% guaranteed, so how can a person go wrong. I hope this info.

helps others that suffer with asthma and allergies.

Annie

, Lynn Ward <lynnward

wrote:

>

> Natural Remedies for Hay Fever and Allergy Relief

>

> From <http://altmedicine.about.com/mbiopage.htm>Cathy Wong,

> About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our

> <http://www.about.com/health/review.htm>Medical Review Board

>

> What is Hay Fever?

>

March 26, 2008