Hay Fever

delaval

My eldest farming mad son has hay fever. He will miss silage and it will kill him. We give a histimine each day and it offers some control.

Is there any chance some one of you know a way to overcome this?

mf240

delaval wrote: »

My eldest farming mad son has hay fever. He will miss silage and it will kill him. We give a histimine each day and it offers some control.

Is there any chance some one of you know a way to overcome this?

Those intra nasal sprays are some help. He may grow out of it eventually. Closed cab with air con might be ok.

Kovu

delaval wrote: »

My eldest farming mad son has hay fever. He will miss silage and it will kill him. We give a histimine each day and it offers some control.

Is there any chance some one of you know a way to overcome this?

My dad gets it really bad and the best he found was Neilmed rinse. It's a bit odd to get used of using as you have to basically rinse your nose out but he says it's the best relief he has ever had.

jp6470

Diet is a big thing I believe.only odd sneeze myself now. Compared to younger days.but still close cab up,sunglasses a must,and always shower when done,so get good nights sleep.

mahoney_j

delaval wrote: »

My eldest farming mad son has hay fever. He will miss silage and it will kill him. We give a histimine each day and it offers some control.

Is there any chance some one of you know a way to overcome this?

I suffer from it in a bad way,runny nose,Sneezing ,eyes.Drives me mad this time of the year but as a farmer you cant exactly stay in from it.Anyway i tried them all,Piritin,Claritin,Neo clairitin even got a feckin injection all with little or no improvement although neo claritin was best but can leave u a bit drowsy(its on prescription).Find drinking a lot of water during the day and if mowing or doin anything in tractor just keep windows shut also helps

Conor556

Keep windows closed in tractor if possible , i had it bad before and sat into the rake with contractor and he had window open, all went to plan got the rest of the week off school! There was a spray I got then and it helped alot ill try and get the name 4 ya.

bob charles

and I taught this was about making nice June hay:D, some smashing stuff on the ground down the road from me, expect it to be baled in a day or so

hfallada

Has you considered going to the doctor and trying to get prescription grade.

delaval

hfallada wrote: »

Has you considered going to the doctor and trying to get prescription grade.

We've done all that allergy clinic etc, I was kinda hoping for an ol wives tale or something. It's a bit better every year though

freedominacup

My sister suffers terribly with it. She eventually went to that guy who managed the Meath footballers for years, Sean Boylan, the name came back to me:rolleyes:. He is into natural remedies but seems to have scientific approach and he helped improve her situation the most. There wasn't a cure but he got her from an unbearable situation to a bearable one.

Condatis

Sucking peppermint may bring some relief – the stronger the mint the better.

This does not work for everybody.

Viewtodiefor

delaval wrote: »

My eldest farming mad son has hay fever. He will miss silage and it will kill him. We give a histimine each day and it offers some control.

Is there any chance some one of you know a way to overcome this?

I have it since I remember, when younger I would cut silage n eyes would swell up n sneezing and get so bad I'd get asthma. What I use is a combination of medications , beconase nasal spray twice daily, opticrom eye drops twice daily and one zirtek tablet daily, all these available over the counter. I believe mine is pretty bad as my skin breaks out also if I don't take them. It's not a cure as there is none I'm aware of but these have been tremendous help to me. Hope this helps

jdee99

try and find a local bee keeper and get some honey from them - a spoonful a day of local honey helps greatly. Suffer myself and started keeping bees a few years ago and yes it helps

delaval

jdee99 wrote: »

try and find a local bee keeper and get some honey from them - a spoonful a day of local honey helps greatly. Suffer myself and started keeping bees a few years ago and yes it helps

Does it need to be local?

Milton09

delaval wrote: »

Does it need to be local?

Yes, I 've heard this before, the local honey is made from local bees in contact with local plants so the "remedy" in the honey works best against the hay fever in that area.

moy83

Our lad had it bad aswell . We got stuff from from the doc called singul air . They are a long term tablet that prevent seasonal allergies and help against asthma . They improved him alot anthow .

jdee99

As above it does need to be local - if you go here http://www.irishbeekeeping.ie/federation/affassoc.html and find your local association and contact the secretary they would be able to put you in contact with a local beekeeper - 20 mile radius is best

newholland mad

By any chance is there oilseed rape nearby(1 mile) its everywhere around here and it would poison you worst hay fever we had in years. Even the local stud farm had to move out all the horses they all got a form of asthma from it. We tried everything nothing helps only getting away for the day, near the sea is best, kids happy then too.

bogman_bass

I get it really bad this time of year.

no help to you now but I start taking nasal spray in april before symtoms start and it is a help.

I also find fixenase (sp?) good

The singulair is a steroid and is quite good.

He needs to make a really big effort not to rub his eyes. its really hard not to but it has to done

also keep any clothes worn in medows out of the bedroom

Manoffeeling

I suffer from hay fever also. Tis a right pain in the hole alright. I take the tablets, a double dose. Not too bad at the minute, but if it gets bad, I'll go for acupuncture. I laughed at first when someone told me, but I eventually went. After 4 goes I was great and got the whole summer out of it. Big improvement. Try it.

Qualitymark

I nearly died from the damn thing during forsythia season (or maybe it was birch pollen season) in Dublin this year.

Two old wives' cures:

1) Local honey, from bees feeding off the local plants' pollen (though any honey is said to help)

2) Local goat's milk, from goats feeding off the local plants - American smallholders swear that you'll become immune to poison ivy if you drink milk from goats that eat your local poison ivy, for instance. And it's also said that replacing all dairy with goat's milk and cheese is good; cow's milk is supposed to be bad for hay fever for some reason.

Personally, though, I'd like to go to Greece while the forsythia's out in Ireland!

Edit: I use Neilmed all the time and it's very good, but in the worst of the hay fever season it doesn't moderate the awfulness. Twice-daily shower-hairwash and change into clean clothes is a tiny bit of help - gets the pollen off.

Edit eile: I take Singulair year-round, but this April I was so bad that I got a black eye from the weeping.

karl tyrrell

Honey: the sweetest cure for hayfever
As the pollen count rises try honey as a natural weapon against hayfever.

Honey: the sweetest cure for hayfever Photo: GETTY
By Cassandra Jardine 7:00AM BST 13 Apr 2009Comment
Under a microscope, pollen looks charming – little spiky balls like those used in Pilates classes. Up the nose, however, it is such a menace that a fifth of the population dreads the coming of summer. Dry, sunny days when the pollen count is high make their noses run and eyes stream.
Most of the remedies for hay fever aren't very attractive either. You can lock yourself indoors next to an air-conditioning unit, feel drowsy on anti-histamines, or worry about what steroids are doing to your body. So, swallowing a spoonful of honey a day is a delightful alternative.
Thousands of people swear by it, saying that a spoonful a day, preferably starting well before the pollen season, has transformed their lives. The principle behind it is desensitisation. The pollen that bees collect is the heavy-grained variety that doesn't cause problems.
But, honey being sticky, it may also contain small amounts of the lighter, wind-blown pollens that inflame the lining of the nose and eyes. These are chiefly from grass and trees such as birch, which normally begin to blossom around the third week of April and trigger allergies in a quarter of hay-fever sufferers.
John Howat, secretary of the Bee Farmers Association of the UK, says: "I used to suffer dreadfully myself until I had been keeping bees for a couple of years. Since then, hardly ever. I don't eat much honey, so the effect could be related to all the stings I've had, or to burying my head in beehives every week."
But is there any evidence that honey is an effective anti-allergen? It certainly appears to have some medicinal properties. Studies have shown that as an antibacterial and healing agent it is better than over-the-counter remedies for coughs, colds and sore throats.
Greater claims are made for honey derived from particular crops, such as manuka. One company, Life Mel, cites research to support its claim that bees fed on ginseng and echinacea may boost the immunities of people undergoing chemotherapy. A further study is under way.
With hay fever, evidence is anecdotal. Bee-keepers are wary of making extravagant claims because it clearly doesn't work for everyone. "There being no evidence either way," says Howat, "it may be that the body builds up a reaction to any pollen, or it could be psychosomatic."
In his own case, the change could be caused by age, because hay fever is worst in the late teens and twenties and becomes less of a problem for the over forties.
Researchers at the University of Connecticut found no evidence of honey's effectiveness in a study published in 2002. They divided their hay-fever sufferers into three groups. To one group, they gave local unpasteurised, unfiltered honey. A second group was given nationally collected, filtered and pasteurised honey. The third group received a placebo of corn syrup with honey flavouring.
All subjects were asked to record how dreadful they felt on different days, but neither honey group fared better than the placebo one.
Most supporters of honey as a remedy recommend raw, unfiltered honey, but David Bondi, chairman of the Honey Association, which represents commercial producers, says any local product should work. "Honey isn't a processed product. All we do is strain it to take out the impurities and heat it gently to 40-50C to get it into jars. Straining shouldn't matter as the strainer holes are much bigger than the pollen. Heating wouldn't kill off the pollen, which is very robust – you can still find honey in ancient Egyptian tombs. And it makes no difference whether the honey is clear or set, that's just how it crystallises."
Unfortunately, British honey production is at an all-time low because of the last two wet summers and the varroa parasite that weakens its bee hosts, reducing the honey yield and making hives vulnerable to viruses. Production in England has halved, and Scottish production has also been affected.
Britain is now only making 3,000 tons a year, just 15 per cent of national consumption, so most commercial pots contain imported honey unless stated. But, with 30-40,000 beekeepers in the UK – the vast majority with just a hive or two in the garden – local honey can still be found, with a little effort. Look out for "Honey for sale" signs by the roadside. Farmers' markets are another good source. The British Beekeepers Association also lists local associations of its 12,000 members.
City dwellers who can't find local honey should not worry, says Howat. "It doesn't matter too much if the hive is on your doorstep, because the flora will be fairly similar throughout large areas, such as the south of England. Opt for multi-floral honey as that will contain a good mix of pollens. Avoid heather or borage mono-floral honeys."
If you want to see whether it works for you, start now; don't wait till you start sneezing. And if it doesn't work, honey can do little harm – except, perhaps, to your waistline.
• For details on raw honey and its anti-allergenic properties, contact the British Beekeepers Association (02476 696679, www.britishbee.org.uk) or Bee Farmers' Association (www.beefarmers.co.uk)
Five healing honeys
Hayfeguard English Honey
This blend of coarse-filtered honey from the South-west includes a variety of pollens and royal jelly.
£14.95 for 227g, from the Hive Honey Shop (020 7924 6233, www.thehivehoneyshop.co.uk)
Duchy Originals Heather Honey
From the ancient pine forests on the Balmoral Estate, this protein-rich Scottish honey gets its pungent flavour from pollen collected from purple Bell and pink Ling heathers.
£4.39 for 227g, from Waitrose and House of Fraser stores
Tregothnan Manuka Honey
This Cornish estate is the only producer outside New Zealand of manuka honey, whose antibacterial properties have been used to treat leg ulcers and pressure sores.
£75 for 100g, from Tregothnan (0800 970 1674, www.tregothnan.co.uk), Harvey Nichols and Fortnum and Mason
Life Mel Honey
Said to boost the immune systems of chemotherapy patients, Life Mel bees are fed on special herbs, including Siberian ginseng and echinacea.
£37.50 for 120g, from Life Mel (020 7247 5497, www.lifemel.co.uk)
Tower Bridge Honey
From hives on London rooftops.
£4.50 for 227g, from The London Honey Company (www.thelondon honey company.co.uk )

Daniel7740

A tip for when your eyes get itchy, if you hold a used tea bag against them it helps to sooth them a lot ,, my eyes used to get really itchy from hay fever and that used to give me great relief from itchy eyes

mark17j

I'm dying with it today, nose/eyes running like a tap, constant sneezing and the back of my throat is so ichy, just wana get a wire brush down at it.

Viewtodiefor

mark17j wrote: »

I'm dying with it today, nose/eyes running like a tap, constant sneezing and the back of my throat is so ichy, just wana get a wire brush down at it.

Been dying the last week with it. Went mowing, raking and baling last week n still suffering the effects! Ran out of tablets one day and it got in on me fecked since! So bad it brought on asthma.

Daniel7740

I've also started wearing sun glasses outside, seems to help a bit with the itchy eyes. Had to do something about it since I was out spraying on the quad and all of a sudden my eyes got really itchy and swelled up completely. Could only see through one eye!

Qualitymark

There's stuff being advertised that you squirt into your eyes for hay fever streaminess - I'm told it's very good. Can't remember the name, but the chemist will tell you. Apparently if you stop the eyes, the sinuses stop in sympathy.

ally k

my oldest son , suffers with this too, we have to keep him indoors at silage, and this is when we need him most, he comes up in blisters if its bad enough, we got him new stuff from the chemist now its for over 18's but it has been like a miracle its called BECONASE ,hayfever relief for adults nasal spray, he takes this at night but it is a steriod based but non drowsy and also PREVALIN allergy spray which relieves symptoms in 3 mins and both are safe to use together... i have to say this has been the only thing that worked for him and stood in the silage field a few days ago and not even a sneeze....this has not happened for at least 4 yrs we couldnt let him outside, so if you can give this a try, hope it helps good luck with it !

RaggyDays

The Sun is shining out this evening, Ive got a dose of Hay fever and can`t wait till the morning to knock the Hay. Roll on the fine weather :D:D346

kowtow

The answer might be at your fingertips:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/the-farmer-who-wouldnt-cowtow-rather-than-supply-supermarkets-and-face-financial-ruin-steve-hook-has-developed-a-market-for-raw-milks-8692664.html

jimini0

try rubbing vaseline in and under the nostrils. my mother says it catches most the pollen before it gets in.