Hayfever!

[Jackdaw]

The bane of my existance (at least during the summer anyway) has come back with a vengance.

Wondering if anyone knows of any natural bushcrafty treatments for the aforementioned condition?

Have heard that nettle tea is good and also to hit myself with nettles to give the extra histamine that I produce something to do helps, not tried these out yet but will give it a go soon.

Jackdaw

 

[andyn]

try these out:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21021&highlight=hayfever

 

[shep]

It can be pure torture if you love the outdoors. For me it's the 1st June every year. I don't know much about the natural remedies, but I have some knowledge of the biomedical ones.
The only answer is to try everything, but be consistent! If you're going for honey, have it every day from Spring. If you use nose spray (my preference) never miss a dose and it should work (beconase, or flixonase). A daily cetirizine taken at night should see you through the next day and minimize the slight 'fug' it gives you (not nearly as bad as piriton though). For fast 'top-up' relief while out and about use benadryl (much faster than cetirizine).
If your eyes are the worst then sodium chromoglicate eye drops work but are a real PITA. Dark glasses help symptoms while also avoiding the question "have you been crying?".
If you really suffer then ask your GP about steroid injections, desensitization or vaccination....or just eat and self-flagellate with nettles. I'm not sure which would be worse.

 

[gregorach]

I had the vaccine shots four or five years in a row as a kid - worked for the season, but not long-term. Then they withdrew them from GPs after some kid died from anaphylactic shock. I dunno if those are still on offer, or if they've come up with something new...

One thing I find is that I have to vary my anti-histamines. Some seasons loratadine works better ,some seasons it's cetirizine.

As for "natural" remedies, I've heard good things about honey, and hookworms. Problem is, it's very hard to be sure whether a given remedy is really effective - hayfever seems to be very succeptible to the placebo effect, and I certainly find that every year is different anyway. I don't much fancy going the hookworm route...

 

[PhilParry]

I didn't used to suffer but it's been slowly getting worse over a period of years....funnily enough, I find that if I camp for more than 2-3 days my symptoms actually diminish...drives me banana's though! Wish I knew what caused it!!

Phil

 

[Jackdaw]

I used to have the steroid injection for a few years and that really worked for me. Changed doctors and the new one refused to give me it. I try everything, but nothing seems to work and I end up spending a small fortune on treatments as he tries me on something new. Eventually the season ends and I know that next year I have to go through all the "new" and improved versions of the old stuff trying to find something that works.

Really miffs me off sometimes.

 

[Jackdaw]

Thanks for the link though, forgot about searching!

 

[Ogri the trog]

You have my sympathies Jackdaw,
I used to suffer every year from Easter to late september, couldn't breathe, eyes swollen shut, feeling like ****, I really hated summers.
Lately (I'm into my 40's now) the hayfever has eased but I've become allergic to some common foods - so look on the happy side, you're time with your symptoms might be comming to an end. Its just that you might end up developing something equally as debilitating - the last consultant I saw mentioned a link between Asthma, Excema, Hayfever and allergies - such that if you had one as a child, you're likely to get another in later life.
I might have read somewhere about chewing Plantain leaves to ease the condition but I might be wrong.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Bigman]

It's the bane of my life as well, never suffered as a child but now I'm several years older it plagues me from April to September.

 

[dwardo]

Yup here too first got hayfever when i was about 18 or 19 and ever since its been a nightmare. Streaming eyes, roar nose and throte, red blotches and sneezing so uncontrollably i near knocked my self out once

But hey ye cant just stay indoors can ye.....

 

[ferrol]

Hayfever here as well, am blessed being reactive to both Grass and tree.

Oh and I'm not clever with Wheat or Dairy too. A good life

I did read somewhere that drinking birch sap did help slightly, think I didn't drink enough of it, ironic really, loving the outdoors but allergic to it.

I personally blame bad diet and toxins and additives in the food and everything today. Goodness knows what it does to your body.

For me I use Eyedrops (opticrom) which stops me wanting to take a wire brush to my eye ball and Nasal Spray (Beconase) normally to help take the edge off, if am really bad I'll try for the strongest over the counter Tablet I can find.

My sister swears by a few spoonfuls of Ice cream in the morning helps ..

ferrol

 

[Jackdaw]

When it says "chew plantain" do you actually swallow it as well?

 

[Ogri the trog]

When it says "chew plantain" do you actually swallow it as well?

I can't remember where I saw it, I thought it was in the latest BCUK mag but a quick re-read only menitons nettle tea as a hayfever relief. I'll keep searching and post back when I find it. Please don't take my word for anything though, seek more information before doing yourself a mischief in the belief of doing good.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Jackdaw]

Thanks Ogri, am going to try some nettle tea this evening to try and shift some of the condiion!

I can't remember where I saw it, I thought it was in the latest BCUK mag but a quick re-read only menitons nettle tea as a hayfever relief. I'll keep searching and post back when I find it. Please don't take my word for anything though, seek more information before doing yourself a mischief in the belief of doing good.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Feygan]

I used to get it really bad as a child, went through the whole pills, sprays, etc etc. Then as I got older (and derest mother wasnt so protective) I started to take them less and elss and spend more and more time outdoors, ever since then it has reduced to the point of nothing, unless I travel to somewhere more than abour 50 miles or so from my current living location. (slightly different pollen in different regions) I looked into it once out of curiosity and found out that hayfever is mainly a "cityfolk" affliction, brought on by our now soft lifestyle of sealed houses etc and ultraclean living. The body tends to not know what pollen is as it never encounters it and so overreacts with the histamine.

Granted I understand some folk are just unlucky (I've seen farmers almost crying with it every year) But for those generally live in the cities/towns, I'd say try for a few days not taking anything and forcing yourself to endure the symptoms, they might just ease off then your well on your way to being cured.

 

[Wayland]

I have a bushcrafty remedy for mine. I spend the Summer in the Lofoten Islands.

I don't seem to have anywhere near the problem there.

 

[big_daddy_merc]

I have a bushcrafty remedy for mine. I spend the Summer in the Lofoten Islands.

I don't seem to have anywhere near the problem there.

that place looks great, been told our family name is of viking descent, Norwegian i think off the top of my head, dad had the name traced a few years back, cost him a couple of hundred for it to be done.


oh btw i suffer really bad as well with hayfever, had a steroid injection last year, first i had in years, looks like i could end up having another this year, tablets only work a week or so on me, so by the end of the summer i could have been on 15-20 types

 

[filcon]

1) Vaseline up my beak .
2) Local honey ; pollen+bees= bees 5h1t (honey)

 

[Togger]

I found a cure to my hayfever symptons...I used to suffer really badly, so bad that sometimes I would have to have days off work, went right back to my schooldays when I used to get sent home from school. A few years ago we went on a caravan rally and the field had just been cut before we got there, within a few minutes I could hardly breathe, and my eyes were raging red. We drove round trying to find a chemist which was still open to no avail but did find a herbalist shop. They prescribed some "sugar tablet" which did nothing really, but whilst I was in the shop I picked up a leaflet on allergies. There was one paragraph which mentioned that drinking milk, with certain people could act as a catalyst to hayfever symptons as there is something in milk that can react with your synuses. It recommended cutting out milk from your diet, not dairy products, cheese etc, just milk. I'd tried every kind of medication and spray going and none worked so i'd nothing to lose. I cut milk out completely and within 2 weeks hardly had any symptons for the rest of the summer. As winter came I started drinking milk again, but as soon as spring came around again I cut it out, again no symptons and no medication. I did this for three years running and now I don't even cut the milk out at all and no longer have hardly any symptons. On a really high pollen count I have taken the odd piriton but that's all, no more than three all summer.
It worked for me, and a few of my friends have tried it to some success, but I for one swear by it.

I appreciate we're not in the hayfever season at the moment, but I just found this thread and thought I may be able to help someone next year with the info. Good luck

 

[shep]

Hey, No harm in resurrecting an old thread with a pearl like that. I think I'll give it a try this year. Cheers.