14 of the best natural hay fever remedies for all the family – from toddlers to teens

Natural hay fever remedies can be an alternative to over-the-counter options in the spring and summer, as the weather gets warmer and the pollen count grows. 

While many people seek out over-the-counter medications for seasonal allergies, hay fever is equally as easy to treat with natural remedies. With more of us experiencing classic hay fever symptoms than ever before – as climate change leads to the pollen season lasting longer and longer – it’s important to have go-tos in your back pocket.

“As the climate changes, so does the make-up of plant pollens.” Pharmacist Stuart Gale from Oxford Online Pharmacy explains, “Although you were previously exposed to pollens throughout your life which did not affect you, you may suddenly find you’re sensitive to a particular pollen strain. Pollen counts are on the increase, combined with warmer summers. This exacerbates the impact of pollution on the body. “

So, if you want to save on hay fever tablets, then check out this list of expert-approved natural hay fever remedies – with something suitable for all ages.

14 of the best natural hay fever remedies

Naturopath Ben Brown, expert advisor to the Health Food Manufacturers Association (HFMA), explains that there’s no need to turn to medications for hay fever relief, as “there are several vitamins and minerals found in foods that can help to manage hay fever symptoms for sufferers.”

He explains, “Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, is a common allergic reaction to pollen and spores and can cause rapid onset or irritating and uncomfortable symptoms, including itchy, watering eyes, stuffy nose, sneezing and headaches.”

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Though hay fever can be unpleasant, there are also plenty of unwanted side effects associated with over-the-counter hay fever medications – such as drowsiness – which can affect your focus and make you feel tired all the time.  

Meanwhile, eye drops can cause eyes to sting, and nasal decongestants can lead to an itchy rash around the nose. There’s also a debate over hay fever medication during pregnancy, and while babies can get hay fever not all antihistamines are safe for young children.

Natural hay fever remedies for babies

1. Keep pollen out of your home

Many natural hay fever remedies aren’t suitable for very young babies, so the best thing to do is prevent symptoms by stopping pollen from getting into your home. While it might be tempting to have the windows open on a warm spring day, you’re simply inviting irritants inside – so keeping your doors and windows completely closed will help to prevent pollen getting in.

Make your bedroom an anti-pollen zone by ensuring the windows are kept always shut, and washing bedding regularly will also help. Make sure to not wear clothes you’ve worn outside in the bedroom, as this will simply transfer pollen and other allergens to your sheets.

2. Invest in an air purifier

Air purifiers remove dust and other particles from the air – therefore removing the triggers of your allergies – so sleeping with an air-purifying device can massively reduce hay fever symptoms during the night or nap times.

Meanwhile, a cool mist humidifier can also help relieve symptoms. Adding moisture into the air by emitting water vapour, humidifiers can help clear your airways and make it easier to breathe. Keeping these passages moisturised will prevent congestion and dryness.

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Natural hay fever remedies for children

3. Honey

Honey is said to be a natural remedy for hay fever because the bee pollen in it can desensitise your body to other pollens, and studies have shown that ingesting honey reduces symptoms of inflammation in the nose caused by allergic rhinitis. 

Increasing honey in your daily dietary intake should reduce hay fever symptoms significantly – though make sure you use local honey to your area to see the best results – and the great thing about this natural hay fever remedy is that it tastes good too!

When to take: Daily before hay fever season starts.

4. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a known natural antihistamine and can be found in oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Also present are bioflavonoids, which have powerful anti-allergy effects. The combination of vitamin C and bioflavonoids together provide a natural decongestant and antihistamine for sufferers and help alleviate symptoms.

“Vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine,” says Nutritional Therapist Alison Cullen from natural remedies manufacturer A.Vogel. “Your body can’t make or store vitamin C, so it has to be available in low, consistent doses to support your nasal lining.”

Oranges make for a natural hay fever remedy that is convenient, tasty and cheap because they’re a good source of vitamin C, or you could take a supplement.

What to take: 1,000mg of vitamin C a day.

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5. Carotenoids

Naturally occurring pigments in plants, carotenoids act as powerful antioxidants to help reduce inflammation in your airways and boost your immune system. A good source of carotenoids can be found in foods such as carrots, apricots, pumpkin, sweet potato and spinach – natural remedies for hay fever can actually be pretty tasty!

When to take: One to two servings of carotenoid-rich food per day.

6. Vaseline

Hay fever sufferers praise Vaseline for being a vital hay fever remedy as soon as the weather begins to warm up. Spreading a thin layer of Vaseline inside the lower nostrils can help combat hay fever and reduce symptoms significantly, as the Vaseline traps pollen entering the nostrils. It’s effectively blocking the pollen from entering the nasal passages and stops hay fever symptoms from worsening.

This is another natural hay fever remedy that you probably already own – and if you don’t, you can pick up a tub from your local supermarket for less than £3.

When to take: Daily during hay fever season, before leaving the house.

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Natural remedies for adults and teens

7. Onions

Onion skins are a good source of quercetin, a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory proven to reduce symptoms in hay fever sufferers. Onions contain three times as much quercetin as kale and 10 times as much as broccoli, and can be eaten throughout the day in a variety of meals, so they’re one of the easier hay fever remedies to try.

When to take: Daily with meals – although you could try chewing raw onions as an alternative. We only recommend this if you’re staying in!

8. Hot peppers

Red and chilli peppers contain an active component called capsaicin, and one study found that capsaicin nasal spray can relieve nasal symptoms. When eaten, capsaicin opens the nasal passages, helping to reduce congestion.

Another convenient natural hay fever remedy, you can buy chilli peppers from your local supermarket or grocery store and use them in meals to help relieve hay fever symptoms.

What to take: Add red and chilli peppers to your daily diet, on salads or cooked with your evening meal.

9. Chamomile tea

An antioxidant and antihistamine, chamomile tea contains flavonoids that act as an anti-inflammatory agent. While best taken as a cuppa during the day, chamomile tea can also be used as an eye compress to cool swollen, red eyes.

Once again, chamomile tea can easily be found in your local supermarket, and often a box of teabags costs less than £2.

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Naturally caffeine free with no added sugars, this tea blend is made from the pollen heads of camomile flowers.  Infuse for 2-3 minutes for the perfect cup, or leave for a little longer if you like a stronger taste. 

• Buy Twinings Pure Camomile 20 Tea Bags, 30g – £1. 80 | Amazon

What to take: Daily as a cuppa or as an eye compress. Make sure to use a fresh compress for each eye to avoid infection.

Making and using a compress:

1. Submerge an instant chamomile teabag in water. Leave it there for at least 3 mins.
2. Dump out the water and gently squeeze the excess water from the teabag.
3. Refrigerate the chamomile tea bag for 15 to 30 mins and remove from the fridge once cool.
4. Hold the cool tea bag against the swollen eye for up to 5 mins at a time.
5. Allow your inflamed eye to breathe for an hour before attempting to re-apply a new compress.

10. Garlic

Increasing your dietary intake of garlic can help boost your body’s immune system, while also acting as a decongestant and helping to alleviate minor hay fever symptoms. It’s also an anti-inflammatory and a good source of quercetin, a natural antihistamine.

And the great thing about this natural hay fever remedy is that you probably already have it in your cupboard!

When to take: With meals, one or two months before the hay fever season starts, but most effective when eaten crushed or raw. If you can’t stomach that, try garlic capsules from your local pharmacy.

Natural remedies for hay fever during pregnancy

11. Acupuncture

Research has found that the ancient Chinese medicine of acupuncture can be a natural hay fever remedy, helping to reduce hay fever symptoms, such as a runny nose and itchy eyes. Using sterile needles, acupuncture pinpoints specific areas of the body and helps relieve any symptoms caused by current ailments. 

You can find an acupuncturist near you on the British Acupuncture Council website.

When to try: Sufferers should have four to six acupuncture sessions before hay fever season starts to see the best results.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

12. Self-hypnosis

One study has suggested that sufferers trained to use self-hypnosis could see a reduction in their hay fever symptoms, such as a runny nose and irritated throat. 

Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland tested 66 hay fever sufferers over two years. While the effects of self-hypnosis were “not very strong”, according to Andreas Bircher, who led the team, “it gives patients the possibility of intervening for themselves.”

How to try self-hypnosis:

1. Find a quiet and comfortable place to relax and begin to relax your body by tensing and then releasing each muscle group.
2. Set your goal and visualise what you want to achieve.
3. Focus your gaze – find something within your line of sight to focus on.
4. Breathe slowly and deeply and imagine your eyelids are becoming heavier until they are too heavy to open.
5. Continue to visualise, and create a calm and happy space in your mind.
6. Move on to your goal once you feel completely calm, mentally repeating it to yourself.
7. Allow yourself to slowly leave the hypnotic state, by moving your fingers and toes and feeling the surface beneath you.

13. Reflexology

Hay fever symptoms occur because when pollen enters the body, your immune system can think it’s under attack and release the chemical histamine – the symptoms of which are just like a cold. It’s thought that by applying pressure through reflexology, you can help reduce inflammation and therefore start to breathe more easily. 

Not sure where to start? “Stimulating the Qu-chi acupuncture point on your elbow can improve the natural energy level so your body doesn’t react when it comes into contact with pollen.” says Acupuncture expert Andrew Broch.

You can find a reflexologist near you on the Association of Reflexologists website.

14. Have a shower

While showering, washing your clothes and bedsheets won’t help to prevent hayfever, it’s one of the best way to sooth your symptoms. Pollen gets caught up in our hair and the fibres of our clothes when we leave the house – and especially when we spend time in the outdoors – so washing it all away can stop the sniffles in an instant.

This hay fever remedy is one to try at the end of the day if you’re still struggling with symptoms after the sun has started to go down.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

What should you avoid when you have hay fever?

• Dairy products – These can encourage the production of mucous, making symptoms like a blocked nose and a runny nose worse.
• Alcohol – Histamines, which the body releases during an allergic reaction, are also found in alcohol, so it could make your hay fever symptoms worse.
• Chocolate – Chocolate also contains histamines, and it has the double-whammy effect of being a dairy product too – steer clear!
• Caffeine – Histamines are also present in caffeine, so swap your usual cuppa for a herbal tea if you’re suffering with hay fever.
• Nuts – Some nuts also contain histamines. While cashews and walnuts are some of the worst culprits, pecans, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts shouldn’t worsen your symptoms.

What causes hay fever?

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen – a fine powder from plants – and it is caused by the nose and/or eyes coming into contact with pollen.

This allergic reaction means the immune system launches an ‘attack’, resulting in the nasal passages become inflamed and more mucus is produced. Symptoms include: sneezing and coughing; a runny or blocked nose; itchy, red or watery eyes; itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears; headache; earache and feeling tired.

Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure for hay fever and you cannot prevent it, but you can try these natural remedies to ease your symptoms.

Why is the pollen count getting higher?

A high pollen count often occurs during between May and June, because this is the time of year that grass pollinates. However, a high pollen count can also be caused by sunny weather and warm temperatures, and pollen counts are usually highest in the middle of the day.

The Met Office explains, “Tree pollen occurs first, typically from late March to mid-May, and affects around 25% of people. Most people are allergic to grass pollen (which actually has two peaks) and the season lasts from mid-May until July. Weed pollen can be released at any time but the season typically covers the end of June to September.”

They add that climate change will have an affect on pollen patterns, because changes in temperature and rainfall may lengthen the pollen season and potentially make pollen concentrations higher, or even change the potency of pollen.

You can find out the pollen count in your local area via the Met Office’s pollen count forecast.

Looking for more natural remedies? Try these cold remedies you can try at home, these tips to cure a cough, or check out or expert-approved natural flu remedies.

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Natural Home Remedies for Hay Fever Relief – Twinings

Natural Home Remedies for Hay Fever Relief – Twinings

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Natural home remedies for hay fever relief, helping to keep those seasonal symptoms at bay.

What Causes Hay Fever?

With symptoms ranging from red, itchy eyes and a sore throat to headaches, persistent sneezing, coughing, and a runny or blocked nose, Hay fever can be seriously debilitating as well as irritating.

Frustratingly, the problem occurs when our immune system mistakenly recognises pollen as something potentially harmful to it and so reacts by releasing lots of histamine to try to limit the pollen’s effect on us. This histamine is what causes most of the immediate symptoms and explains why anti-histamine tablets help to counteract this response.

But what other things might also be worth considering to help keep these annoying symptoms at bay?
:

Nature provides us with many different kinds of natural remedies that may help with hay fever – from medicinal herbs and spices to a myriad of beneficial plant compounds, vitamins and other nutrients found in fruit, vegetables and other foods we can include in our diet.

The Best Herbs and Spices for Soothing Symptoms

‘Nettle is probably the most accessible and widely used herbal remedy for hayfever’, says our Expert Herbalist, ‘as it can be taken as a tea as well as a herbal tincture and even cooked as a vegetable like spinach.’ Medical herbalists often find Nettle helpful for many allergies and skin conditions and, being rich in Vitamins A and C as well as minerals such as Iron and Silica, this also makes it useful for strengthening the body generally, especially if people are run down.

Elderflower is another herb you may read about that’s very common in the UK and is traditionally used in herbal remedies to help with excess mucous (both runny noses and weepy eyes) as well as for making delicious cordial. The leaves of the common weed Plantain are also considered beneficial, along with beautiful flowering Eyebright which is traditionally regarded, as its name suggests, as helpful for weepy, irritated eyes.

Other herbal remedies that might be considered are those that may be helpful in supporting the immune system such as Echinacea which has a long history of use, Lemon balm which is beautiful to drink in an infusion and also Garlic which can easily be added to your diet (ideally taken raw, so chopped on toast or added to salads or at the end of cooking along, perhaps along with some sweet-tasting basil or parsley to counteract its pungency!)

Fresh ginger root is a great spice that you might want to consider adding more freely to your smoothies and stir-fries. Regarded as an important medicinal herb, the aromatic oils in ginger are both anti-inflammatory and helpful in promoting a more gentle digestion; turmeric is another wonderful spice with similar benefits that you could introduce more of, and is great in porridge and smoothies as well as warming curries.

Consulting a qualified medical herbalist is also worth considering for expert, professional advice.
 

Boost Your Diet With Added Vitamin C

Adding more Vitamin C to your diet has been seen to reduce hayfever symptoms in large doses, and with the warmer weather approaching it’s good to know that your summer favourites like strawberries & oranges and fresh tomatoes & red peppers are all great sources of natural Vitamin C.

Stress and Hayfever

As if hayfever wasn’t irritating enough, when we’re stressed our cortisol levels rise which tends to have a negative effect on our immunity!

This is where calming herbs like chamomile can help. As our expert herbalist says, ‘Although often thought of as something to drink at bedtime, chamomile isn’t actually a sedative but it does help the body to relax and function at its natural best due to the herb’s gentle bitter action and also the soothing essential oils which have anti-inflammatory properties. All in all, if drunk over the course of the day, this can really support the body and mind to stay calm and not be so reactive and easily irritated’.

Add a Little Sweetness to the Season

One of the most popular home remedies over the years for helping hay fever and soothing your symptoms is honey. But, in order for it to be effective, it’s best if it’s from your local bees, as this is thought to help to de-sensitise your body to the effects of local pollen.

As long as you’re ok with honey, its certainly a naturally delicious remedy to try and, fingers crossed, will hopefully help put the sweetness back into Summer for you again!

Please note. This article is for general interest only and is not intended to replace the advice of any healthcare professional. We recommend you consult your healthcare professional for advice before trying any remedies.

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Pollinosis (more rarely called hay fever) is an allergic disease that occurs due to allergens contained mainly in plant pollen. Treatment of hay fever is necessary for a person in certain seasons of flowering herbs and plants.

Plant pollen contains various biological mediators, which, when ingested (most often in the upper respiratory tract along with inhaled air), lead to the development of allergic hay fever.

Manifestations and diagnosis of hay fever

Symptoms of this disease are as follows:

1. Discomfort and itching in the nose.
2. Allergic rhinitis is a runny nose that has signs of serous, with a colorless discharge that has no smell.
3. Irritation in the nose often leads to sneezing.
4. Redness of the wings of the nose, nostrils.
5. Respiratory failure and dry cough may occur with a severe allergic reaction. Sometimes hay fever causes the development of bronchial asthma in humans.

Diagnosis of this disease is not difficult. The doctor conducts a detailed survey, finds out the circumstances of the allergy, as well as the season and approximate time of onset of the first symptoms. An important role is played by the clarification of such a fact as the presence of varying degrees of severity of hay fever in different climatic regions. This often allows the allergist to determine more precisely the plant whose pollen causes such atypical reactions in the body.

A more detailed diagnosis consists not only in identifying the main symptoms of the disease, but also in conducting laboratory tests. Determining the level of immunoglobulin E allows you to assess the degree of sensitization of the body. Next, subcutaneous, scarification tests with allergens are carried out to determine a more detailed group of substances that can cause an atypical reaction in humans. For this, various pollen of grasses, flowers and plants is used, which is diluted to a standard concentration that does not pose a danger. In order to further confirm the presence of an allergy, immunological panels can be used to determine antibodies to a specific allergen.

Treatment of hay fever in adults

Unlike household allergens, hay fever is extremely difficult to treat due to the inability to comply with the main principle of the treatment of all allergic diseases – to eliminate contact with the substance that leads to an allergic reaction. It is recommended for the flowering period of the plant, which becomes the causative agent of hay fever, to leave the unfavorable climatic zone and change the geographical location. However, for a number of objective reasons, in many cases this is not so easy to do. Therefore, the qualified help of allergists of the medical center “SANMEDEKSPERT”. They conduct therapy according to the following principles:

1. Symptomatic treatment of hay fever. It is carried out by prescribing vasoconstrictor drops in the nose, ointments with hormones on a skin rash, etc.
2. Antihistamine therapy allows you to systemically reduce the manifestations of an allergic reaction by acting directly on the pathological mechanisms of an atypical immune response.
3. Hormone therapy is used for bronchial asthma due to hay fever, as well as for severe allergies.
4. Carrying out desensitization of the body. This is an extremely difficult process. Most often, this can be achieved by conducting ASIT therapy – a fractional introduction of an allergen into the body in order to change the body’s immune response from an allergic type to a normal one.

Pollinosis in children

Most often, hay fever is detected in children who are very active in the summer in contact with plant allergens. This predisposes to the development of an allergic reaction. However, this by no means means that ordinary contact with such plants and herbs always leads to the development of an allergic reaction. The possibility of its formation depends on the characteristics of immunity and hereditary factors.

Treatment of hay fever in children is carried out according to the same principles as in adults, only using a narrower range of drugs in dosages for children.

what kind of allergy, symptoms, treatment, clinical recommendations

Allergist – Immunologist deals with the treatment of this disease

The information provided on this page should not be used for self-treatment or self-diagnosis. If you suspect a disease, you should seek help from a qualified specialist. Only your doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Article content:

• Causes
• Clinical picture
  • Grades of severity
  • Complications
• Diagnostics
• Methods of treatment
• Prophylaxis

Pollinosis is a seasonal allergy that occurs upon contact with plant pollen. The disease is also called hay fever, seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Pollinosis is more typical for women, associated with hereditary predisposition. It is manifested mainly by lacrimation and sneezing, although more severe symptoms in the form of shortness of breath and suffocation may occur. Treatment consists in taking antihistamines during the flowering period of plants, minimizing contact with pollen.

Causes

The reason for the development of allergic hay fever is an atypical reaction of the body to plant pollen. The source of allergies are all flowering herbs, shrubs, trees. Pollen contains a huge amount of allergens. Between plants, it spreads through the air, so during the flowering season, the smallest particles of pollen easily penetrate the respiratory tract and settle on the mucous membrane.

Hay fever does not occur in every person, but only in the presence of predisposing factors. These include:

• hereditary factor — found in 60-80% of patients with hay fever;
• abuse of alcohol, nicotine;
• chronic lung diseases;
• frequent viral infections;
• malnutrition;
• stress.

The ecological situation in which a person lives is of great importance. Contribute to the occurrence of pollinosis air pollution with dust, exhaust gases, sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide.

Hay fever is an illness associated with other allergic reactions. About 40% of asthmatics are allergic to pollen. Patients with hay fever also react negatively to house dust, animal hair and dander, medicines and food.

Pollen with inhaled air enters the nose and further through the respiratory tract, settles on the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, trachea and bronchi. The body recognizes allergens and attacks them with immune cells. There is an active release of inflammatory mediators, which leads to swelling of the mucosa, its irritation Source:
Plants that cause hay fever. Glukhova D.A. Bulletin of Medical Internet Conferences, Volume 6, Issue 5, 2016. p.918.

Symptoms of pollinosis are most pronounced in the eyes and nose, rhinitis and conjunctivitis develop:

• profuse lacrimation;
• itching and burning of mucous membranes;
• feeling of sand in the eyes;
• redness of the conjunctiva;
• runny nasal discharge;
• nasal congestion;
• persistent sneezing.

This is how the body tries to get rid of the allergen. Less commonly, itchy skin rashes, coughing, shortness of breath and suffocation. Sometimes the course of hay fever resembles bronchial asthma. Due to the constant nasal congestion, a headache, aching temples, ringing in the ears appear.

The intensity of symptoms depends on:

• the amount of pollen ingested;
• duration of action of the allergen;
• immune system status;
• initial sensitization of the body.

Manifestations of pollinosis begin immediately after contact of the allergen with the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract. An immediate hypersensitivity reaction develops.

Severity

Depending on the severity of the manifestations, there are three stages, or the severity of the disease:

• mild – the symptoms are mild and do not cause much concern to the patient, they are easily corrected with antihistamines;
• medium – impaired performance, reduced quality of life, requires constant medication;
• severe – the patient cannot go outside, the disease leads to disability, inpatient treatment is required.

There are no other classification principles for hay fever.

Complications

If left untreated, chronic inflammation and irritation of the mucosa, stress of the immune system and the action of allergens lead to the development of complications:

• bronchial asthma;
• the formation of polyps on the nasopharyngeal mucosa;
• hearing impairment Source:
  A modern approach to predicting the course of hay fever. Kuzmicheva K.P., Malinina E.I., Rychkova O.A., Yasnova Yu.A. Russian Bulletin of Perinatology and Pediatrics No. 62:(4), 2017. p.134.

Diagnostics

An allergist deals with hay fever diagnostics. To make a diagnosis, it is enough to trace the relationship between exposure to the allergen and the appearance of characteristic symptoms. When collecting an anamnesis, the doctor finds out how long ago the signs of allergy appeared, how they intensified over time. It is important to establish in which months the symptoms of hay fever are most pronounced. Different plants have different flowering times. By establishing the time of the most active manifestation of hay fever, the doctor can guess which plant is causing the reaction.

In order to select an effective treatment, the doctor prescribes diagnostic skin tests. Small scratches are applied to the skin of the forearm with a scarifier. They contain a microscopic amount of a known pollen allergen. Up to 10 samples are usually taken in one procedure. A day later, the doctor evaluates the reaction of the skin – swelling, redness and a rash appear at the site of application. This is how an allergist determines which plant a person is allergic to. Source:
Epidemiology of hay fever: facts, main trends. Shamgunova B.A., Zaklyakova L.V. Astrakhan medical journal, 2010..

Blood tests are of indirect importance. With the help of tests, the doctor determines the number of eosinophils, eosinophilic cationic protein, immunoglobulin E. According to the results, the allergist determines the severity of the disease. Patients are shown a consultation with an otorhinolaryngologist. On examination, the doctor assesses the condition of the mucosa, the severity of inflammation and swelling, detects polyps in the nasopharynx.

Methods of treatment

Stopping exposure to the allergen is important in the treatment of hay fever. Given the wide distribution of pollen during the flowering season, this is difficult to do. According to the clinical guidelines for pollinosis, symptomatic and pathogenetic treatment begins a few days before the start of the flowering season and continues until it ends.

The following preparations are used:

• antihistamines;
• local vasoconstrictors – for short-term use only;
• topical corticosteroids;
• leukotriene receptor antagonists;
• moisturizing eye drops.

In severe hay fever, desensitizing therapy is carried out in a hospital, drugs are administered intramuscularly and intravenously.

A special diet is not indicated for the typical course of hay fever. A hypoallergenic diet is needed if hay fever is combined with food allergies. Then both conditions can aggravate each other. Source:
Time to treat hay fever. Osipova G.L. Asthma and Allergy No. 4, 2011. p.2-3.

Outside of exacerbation, specific immunotherapy is indicated – ASIT. The essence of the technique is to sensitize the body with microscopic doses of the allergen. The patient is gradually accustomed to the effects of a provoking factor, and his body becomes resistant to pollen allergens. Several ASIT courses allow a person to calmly endure periods of flowering plants.

ASIT is the only option for the etiological treatment of hay fever. Therapy acts directly on the cause of the disease, that is, the atypical reaction of the body. Allergens in ASIT are administered in two ways:

• drops or tablets under the tongue;
• solution subcutaneously.

The allergist determines the doses, duration and number of ASIT courses for each patient individually. Specific immunotherapy reduces the body’s sensitivity to other allergens, normalizes the immune system and reduces the severity of hay fever manifestations.

Prevention

Prevention of hay fever consists in limiting human contact with plant pollen as much as possible. At the public level, the problem is partially solved by the fight against poplar fluff, which itself is not an allergen, but carries a large amount of adhering pollen. Individual protective measures:

• wearing a respirator, medical mask outdoors during flowering;
• ventilation of rooms after rain when there is no pollen in the air;
• use of an indoor air purifier;
• daily wet cleaning.

Immediately after returning from the street, you need to wash your face, rinse your eyes and nose, take a shower. Source:
Issues of pollinosis prevention in the urban population. Yavgildina A.M. Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: Medicine №4, 2010. p.519-521.

Contact the allergist “SM-Clinic” in St. Petersburg for the diagnosis and treatment of pollinosis, the selection of preventive measures, the appointment of specific immunotherapy. Our laboratory has state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment that will accurately determine the cause of hay fever.

• Time to treat hay fever. Osipova G.L. Asthma and Allergy No. 4, 2011. p.2-3
• Plants that cause hay fever. Glukhova D.A. Bulletin of Medical Internet Conferences, Volume 6, Issue 5, 2016. p.918
• Modern approach to forecasting the course of hay fever. Kuzmicheva K.P., Malinina E.I., Rychkova O.A., Yasnova Yu.A. Russian Bulletin of Perinatology and Pediatrics No. 62:(4), 2017. p.134
• Issues of prevention of pollinosis in the urban population. Yavgildina A.M. Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: Medicine №4, 2010. p.519-521
• Epidemiology of hay fever: facts, main trends. Shamgunova B.