Months of February and March see a rise in pollen (a fine yellowish powder transported from plant to plant by wind, birds, and insects), which is good for fertilizing plants. But it can mean misery for seasonal allergy sufferers.
The basic symptoms are sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, itchy throat and eyes, and wheezing. But depending on the type of pollen one is allergic to, triggers vary. For example, people allergic to weed pollen suffer most on dry, hot and windy days when airborne particles are at their worst. Tree pollen, on the other hand, is harder to avoid, since the pollen is much finer and can travel with wind for many miles.
So, what can the doctor do about it? Exposure to pollen is unavoidable, but we can manage it. From my years of experience treating patients with chronic seasonal allergies using homeopathy, I have developed a three-phase treatment.
First, medication one month prior to pollen season. This helps increase resistance, which can lessen the effect of pollen.
Second, medication during pollen season. These are not anti-allergens or sedatives. Homeopathic medicines are symptomatic, which is to say they are different for different people expressing different symptoms. Imagine four people suffering from pollen allergies but each has shows slightly different symptoms: one feels a lot of thirst, another feels only a little thirsty at short intervals, third feels totally thirsty all the time, and the last is thirsty for a large quantity of water at long intervals. In homeopathy, we will arrive at different medicines for each person.
Third, exercises like pranayam, especially anulom vilom. This can be done twice daily, ten rounds each time.
Together, taking the right medicines before pollen season and during, and doing the breathing exercises I suggest above, you can change a miserable life to a happy, comfortable and healthy one.
