Soothing Spring

Dont get hit by hay fever this sneeze season. Develop a deeper understanding on how to manage the condition for your most soothing spring yet.

- Gracie Balev

While the weather warms and flowers bloom in early spring, many of us will struggle as hay fever takes hold. The itching, watering, sneezing messiness that comes to define the early days of this new season could not be less welcome. In the search for relief, the greatest reprieve is developing a better understanding of the body’s allergic responses and how to naturally remedy them in lieu of becoming dependent on over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Be armed and get ready to naturally combat the unpleasantness of hay fever when it comes knocking this spring.

Hay fever 101

Otherwise known as allergic rhinitis, hay fever is an allergic response to airborne allergens most prevalent in springtime and said to affect approximately 18 per cent of people in Australia and New Zealand. While susceptibility is often acquired in early childhood, hay fever is commonly experienced by both adults and children alike. It’s also worth noting that, despite its name, hay fever is not caused by exposure to hay nor does it cause a fever.

The symptoms of allergic rhinitis can be categorised as either having an immediate onset, including a runny, itchy nose, sneezing, shortness of breath, itchy/red/watery eyes (allergic conjunctivitis) and the sensation of mucus running down the back of the throat (post-nasal drip), or as causing varying levels of obstruction, including congested nose and/ or airways and snoring. While many of these symptoms mimic those caused by infections such as colds or flu, allergy symptoms will persist until properly treated.

The severity of symptoms varies from mild or moderate, where daily functions are not noticeably affected through to severe effects that significantly impact on daily comfort and performance. How symptoms express will vary according to a multitude of factors, such as allergen concentration, duration of exposure and individual sensitivity.