Hay Fever

Thank you for starting this thread Konstantin. I've recently gotten a serious case of hay fever or allergies in the last few weeks. At times I'm sneezing 10-12 times in a row, and after a bout of it, find my left arm spasms and pressure builds up in my forehead. My eyes are puffy and swollen and I can barely breathe out of my nose. I got back from the doctor yesterday and they recommended some fluticasone for my nasal passages and to gargle with benzydamine to help with the throat congestion. Today I'm going in for a chest X-ray because they suspect I have an infection. So far, the benzydamine helped a little bit with my throat but I didn't notice a single thing from the fluticasone, which is basically spraying cortisol up my nose!

I've also added in gargling with iodine and salt to help with my throat and the holy trinity of health to help with the infection - Baking soda, Vit C and Chicken soup. In reading over this thread, I think I'll also start taking supplements to actively help with phase 1 detoxification as well as NAC, probiotics and Colostrum to help with gut health and see if that doesn't provide some relief as well. @A Jay idea of muscle testing seems worth trying out and I'll start looking into practitioners.

So far I've noticed:
  • Smoking seems to worsen the allergic reactions, and was a non-issue until a few weeks ago
  • Since cutting down on smoking, the allergic reactions lessened but then I developed an infection of some kind
  • I have been cheating a little bit in the last few weeks which includes refined sugar, gluten-free apple pie, coconut ice cream, eggs and spices - so one or more of those might be wreaking havoc
I'm also wondering if stress could be playing a role too. I was pretty much non-stop since the beginning of winter and my cortisol levels were really high. In the last week things have slowed down for me, I've even been getting more sleep (normally I'm about 5-6 hours) and now it feels like as soon as I gave my body the break that it has been asking for since early February, my immune system decided to give way to allergies and an infection. So there might be a learning lesson in all of this.
 
I hope that you will better soon. This year i feel better.its maybe because the weather is much colder than it must be for this time of the year. I have one small episode 2 weeks ago when the weather was little warmer and dryer. After that it passed pn its own.
From my experience, high doses of Vit C can improve the condition a little.
Last 2 years i am also using the small battery device that have 2 probes with red light that i put in the nose. It is drasticly improving the sneezing in a just few minutes. You can fing the link in this thread.
Take care Turgon.
 
Last 2 years i am also using the small battery device that have 2 probes with red light that i put in the nose. It is drasticly improving the sneezing in a just few minutes. You can fing the link in this thread.

Is this what you're talking about?

 
It's the time of the year again when my hay fever starts to hit harder. My symptoms started few days ago, and I've started taking medicine (pseudoefedrin based) whenever it get too hard to bear.

Last year I started experimenting with nettle as a treatment, as it apparently contains natural antihistamines, and it seemed to work. Today I was having very hard time with the allergy (in spite of taking medicine earlier), so I decided to walk in the nettle bush exposing my legs below the knee there.

Now I'm having much better overall feeling: my nose is not runny at all, and unlike usually the nettles doesn't actually sting, there's just very small tingling sensation in the leg. I'll keep experimenting with this in order to keep the use of medicine in minimum. I've also found the use of neti pot to be somewhat helpful.
 
Intersting experiment with the nettles, I'll try!

This year again, hay fever is hitting hard when the sun is hot. Rain seems to be the best medicine. Avoidance of contact with animals and washing off my face with cold water helps too. Between 2PM and 4PM has been my worse time frame. I tried reducing my histamine containing food in the beginning but it's hard to eat all fresh all day long. I also crave more carbs during this period. I've been taking Glutamine , a quail eggs supplement and bifido probiotics. I was fooled to believe it was ok this year, the weather was just bad! I bought the Hailicare Allergy device and it helps with the sneezing indeed.
My step-father handed me a professional mask with a filter, that's wonderful. It has been of great help to allow me to do what I have to do outside. It's a bit hard to breathe in after a while so I take regular breaks, a minor downside compared to the benefits.

Take care you all for this Hay fever period!
 
It's the time of the year again when my hay fever starts to hit harder. My symptoms started few days ago, and I've started taking medicine (pseudoefedrin based) whenever it get too hard to bear.

Last year I started experimenting with nettle as a treatment, as it apparently contains natural antihistamines, and it seemed to work. Today I was having very hard time with the allergy (in spite of taking medicine earlier), so I decided to walk in the nettle bush exposing my legs below the knee there.

Now I'm having much better overall feeling: my nose is not runny at all, and unlike usually the nettles doesn't actually sting, there's just very small tingling sensation in the leg. I'll keep experimenting with this in order to keep the use of medicine in minimum. I've also found the use of neti pot to be somewhat helpful.
Last few days as the weather became warmer, my symptoms increased. Also, my son who is 12 years old started to have the same symptoms.
We tried nettle tea and it is doing the job. It alleviates the symptoms of Hay fever significantly.
One cup in the late afternoon or in the evening makes feel much better. I will continue with this as long as it works.
 
Since I watched Vaxxed 2, I realized Hay Fever might actually really come from vaccination, so I am in search of data specific to Hay fever and vaccination. While it seems clear to me now that vaccines are obviously linked to different allergies, finding the specifics is a bit more complicated.
I found this from The Vaccination Crisis - docshare.tips
In a research paper submitted to the Australian government, Drs. Dettman, Kalokerinos, and Ford have urged that something be done about the pertussis vaccine problem. Among other things, they noted evidence linking pertussis vaccine with the later appearance of asthma and hayfever ("A Supportive Submission, " The Dangers of Immunization, Biological Research Institute, Warburton, Victoria, Australia, 1979, p. 74). Not only is the pertussis vaccine only about 40-45 percent effective ("Persistence of Pertussis in an Immunized Population, " November 1989, pp. 686-693), but its immunity is short-lived (Vaccination Bulletin, February 1987, p. 11). There is a 95 percent chance of infection, only 12 years after vaccination ("Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tentanus Vaccine, " Pediatrics, February 1979, pp. 256-260). Edward B. Shaw, a physician teaching in the medical school at the University of California, said this: "I doubt that the decrease In pertussis is due to the vaccine, which is a very poor antigen and an extremely dangerous one-with many serious complications."

Problem is, for now I can't find this exact publication. I have to dig into Kalokerinos's and Dettman's work in more details, High doses vitamin C might potentially be a solution. I'll read the thread which I've been aware of, but have not tried high doses yet.

Also, here :
“After contracting measles and other childhood illnesses (e.g.. chickenpox, scarlet fever, whooping cough, rubella, mumps and may be others), it has been widely accepted by many health practitioners, including experienced orthodox pediatricians that this is often beneficial for the general health of many children. Specifically it has been shown that children contracting measles naturally were less likely to suffer from allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema and hayfever, (Lancer June 29 1996).” ~ Trevor Gunn BSC

We could share our experiences to know if you guys had that pertussis vaccine ?
I had 5 shots. It's hard to read my doctor's writing so there are some vaccines I can't identify and I think I start to understand why... :lol:
Tetracoq (Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis vaccine): four times.
Infanrix (Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed ), once.

Also, I didn't contract measles as a kid. I only got chickenpox.
 
Yesterday was the first day I had horrible hayfever symptoms, apparently, the tree and grass pollen are very high at the moment. I was super itchy, sneezing constantly and irritable :curse:, I also had really poor sleep as I couldn't breathe very well. I took Vit C but it only had a minor effect, this could be due to incorrect dosage or timing though.

Today I am trying vitamin C dosed throughout the day as per Dr. Rhonda Patrick's recommendations, she says that when taking oral vitamin C, your blood levels peak after 5 hours and then decline so to maintain blood levels you need to be taking regular doses throughout the day rather than one big dose. See here for Gaby's article on Vit C:

Maintenance doses of 4 grams per day do not seem to create a noticeable dependency. The majority of patients who take over 10-15 grams of ascorbic acid per day probably have certain metabolic needs for ascorbate which exceed the universal human species need. Patients with chronic allergies often take large maintenance doses.
And here for information on bowel tolerance.

I also took a standard antihistamine from the chemist (I don't usually take many meds, but after last night's awful sleep I didn't want to risk it), probiotics, and Quinton nasal spray that I found in the cupboard. I've ordered this light therapy device too to see if that helps. As the nerves that innervate the nose and throat originate in the cranium and upper cervical spine, I may also try injecting isotonic Quinton in the upper C-spine.

If hayfever is triggered by vaccine injury as Starshine said, this is saddening and makes me wonder if the damage is repairable, or whether it is just something that has to be managed. I haven't looked into this very much so I will be interested to see what information there is out there.
 
Today I am trying vitamin C dosed throughout the day as per Dr. Rhonda Patrick's recommendations, she says that when taking oral vitamin C, your blood levels peak after 5 hours and then decline so to maintain blood levels you need to be taking regular doses throughout the day rather than one big dose.
Sorry to hear that you are having such a terrible time with the pollen. :hug:

As for the dosing for Vitamin C, are you taking it every 30 - 60 minutes, two grams or so at a time? You can do that until your stomach starts gurgling (which indicates you're at bowel tolerance)? You may not be taking enough.

Also, have you noticed if your symptoms lessen when you've had a cigarette? Nicotine can sort of negate, or at least lessen, your response to allergies; although maybe yours is so bad it's hard to notice any relief. Several years ago, my asthma doctor let that slip when testing my mother for allergies (she found out she was allergic to dogs :scared: and after quitting smoking was having allergy problems and staying away from her dog was not going to happen - ever).

I have found that if I have an allergic reaction to anything that smoking helps alleviate it a bit until the Vitamin C can take affect. As for hay fever, I was having a problem with it as well and found that I really needed to take Vitamin C a lot more often than I do to manage other issues I take it for.

Also, if you need to take antihistamines for a while, do it. Sometimes we need to take these types of things for a while to get us back on our feet so to say.
I hope that you can find something to work for you and that you start feeling better soon. Another :hug: to you!
 
As for the dosing for Vitamin C, are you taking it every 30 - 60 minutes, two grams or so at a time? You can do that until your stomach starts gurgling (which indicates you're at bowel tolerance)? You may not be taking enough.

The first day (the day before I posted- Friday) I wasn't taking enough at all, I only took three doses of 1/4 tsp which probably amounted to 2g or less, doh! So yesterday I took 1/2 tsp about 5 times and I felt way better, but it still wasn't enough to reach bowel tolerance, so I will try what you suggested.

Also, have you noticed if your symptoms lessen when you've had a cigarette? Nicotine can sort of negate, or at least lessen, your response to allergies; although maybe yours is so bad it's hard to notice any relief. Several years ago, my asthma doctor let that slip when testing my mother for allergies (she found out she was allergic to dogs :scared: and after quitting smoking was having allergy problems and staying away from her dog was not going to happen - ever).

Well, I would've thought so too, however, when I really flared up Friday, smoking seemed to make me sneeze more, whereas yesterday when my symptoms were under better control it seemed to help. So I'm not 100% sure on that one- I will report my findings:-D
I was very impressed with the Quinton nasal spray yesterday which seemed to provide immediate symptomatic relief, I forgot to add I took thiamine too.

Thank you Nienna :hug2: I'm grateful that I only experience this for a very short period, many have it worse!
 
From that same article you mentioned, Jenn, there is also this part which addresses bowel tolerance: The Experience of Robert F. Cathcart, M.D.- Oral vitamin C, Titrating to Tolerance.
Table 1 indicates that for hay fever and asthma, one can take between 15 - 50 grams per 24 hours in 4 - 8 doses.
I just ran out of vit. C and will have to wait until midweek for my next order to arrive. I also bought the necessary to make my own liposomal one.
I bought the light device last year and now use it in conjunction with a reptile bulb plus a security camera floodlight, it calms the crisis down, but doesn't prevent me to have ulterior crisis as soon as I expose myself too much.
I have some hope that the protocol advised here might be of help, so I also bought the necessary to do the whole thing, as advised on the original link.
Another point to consider :
Do Probiotics Have a Role in the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis? A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Conclusion: Despite high variability among the studies, synthesis of available data provided significant evidence of beneficial clinical and immunologic effects of probiotics in the treatment of AR, especially with seasonal AR and LP-33 strains. With the rising pool of studies, the most promising strains in specific allergies can be revealed and adjuvant therapy with probiotics can be recommended for the treatment of AR.

Apart from the vaccine induced origin probability, it seems like there is a shared genetic origin of asthma, hay fever and eczema.

I just came across other psychological connections with shyness and hypersensitivity reading the following book: The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron, PhD.
She mentioned a study which I can't access : Arcus, D. (1994). Biological Mechanisms and Personality: Evidence from Shy Children. Advances, 10(4) 40-50.
But I found others, specific to hay fever. There are plenty more, concerning Allergic Rhinitis.

Temperament and Allergic Symptoms
Two independent studies of the first and second degree relatives of extremely shy versus sociable children revealed greater prevalence of hayfever and social anxiety among the relatives of the former group of children. These data, which are in accord with other research, imply a genetically mediated relation between social anxiety and selected atopic allergies.
Is Allergic Rhinitis More Frequent in Young Adults With Extreme Shyness? A Preliminary Survey

Abstract
Previous studies suggest that social anxiety, allergies and distressed affect may be interrelated in some persons. For example, extremely introverted patients experience a poorer course and outcome of allergies as well as greater degrees of distressed affect such as depression and anxiety than do extraverts. Patients with affective disorders have a higher prevalence of atopic allergy than the general population; families of patients with panic disorder and major depression have the highest frequency of shy children. Preliminary investigation also indicate that behaviorally inhibited Caucasian children (initially shy and cautions in unfamiliar situations) and their families have more allergies, especially hay fever, than do uninhibited, socially outgoing children. The present survey evaluated the frequency of self-reported shyness. The most introverted subjects had significantly higher scores on self reports of depression, fearfulness, and fatigue, as well as a higher prevalence of hay fever. The data support the possibility of a distinct subgroup of shy individuals with concomitant vulnerability to specific allergies and affective disorders.
Hay fever in childhood, traits Neuroticism and Conscientiousness as independent predictors of the occurrence of hay fever in adulthood

Among our three hypotheses that hay fever in childhood identified by general practitioners (GPs) would be significantly associated with adult hay fever and that Conscientiousness would be negatively and Neuroticism would be positively associated with the prevalence of hay fever, two have been supported and one has been rejected. Childhood hay fever is the strongest predictor of adult hay fever, indicating the persistence of liability towards such symptoms. It also shows the effect of bio-physiological features on this health condition.

This study shows that personality trait Neuroticism is significantly associated with the occurrence of hay fever in adulthood, even after taking into account childhood and adulthood socio-demographic factors, intelligence and hay fever occurred in childhood. It is not clear, though, whether high Neuroticism worsens the symptoms of hay fever or the suffering of hay fever increases the levels of Neuroticism, as both measures were assessed at the same time.

While it is understandable that individuals who have higher scores on Neuroticism tend to report more hay fever, it is intriguing that trait Conscientiousness is a significant but positive predictor of adult hay fever. Correlational analysis also shows the significant and positive associations between adult hay fever and intelligence, education, occupation and trait Intellect.

It has been argued that Conscientiousness has been linked to health because conscientious people are more likely to lead healthier lives and follow medical advice (Kern and Friedman, 2008). The fact that the correlation for hay fever runs in the opposite direction to that of other diseases may be hypothesised to relate to the fact that these individuals continue to be active and take exercise outdoors, despite their propensity to hay fever, and this may account for their raised hay fever rates relative to their less conscientious peers. It is known that conscientious and responsible individuals function in a prophylactic manner towards their health. They choose or create healthier environments and make on a daily basis numerous decisions that minimise health risks (Friedman and Kern, 2014). It is thus possible, as the hygiene hypothesis holds, that they minimise their exposure to allergens, germs or parasites increasing their susceptibility to allergic diseases. For example, there is evidence showing that individuals who live in ‘clean’ environments measured with levels of triclosan (a compound found in antibacterial soap and other sanitary products) report more hay fever symptoms (Rees Clayton et al., 2011). This might in part explain why Conscientiousness is a positive predictor of hay fever.

This finding of the study is among the first to show the opposite associations between hay fever and socio-economic status and trait Conscientiousness. Future studies are needed to confirm or refute these findings.

Nevertheless, the findings of the study demonstrate the importance of personality factors that may influence some health conditions such as hay fever. Treatment of these health problems may have a more effective outcome when personality factors are considered along with physical conditions.

Limitations
This study is based on a British cohort and may not be representative internationally. Furthermore, this study is based on available variables in the dataset rather than being based on the study designed for the purpose; thus, variables included in the study do not have a wide scope in investigating correlates of the outcome variable.
 
I have some hope that the protocol advised here might be of help, so I also bought the necessary to do the whole thing, as advised on the original link.

I've noticed that nebulizations help a lot with rinitis and/or other sinus and respiratory congestion. In my case, I don't get a runny nose but my nose seems to be blocked and I can't breathe properly. This is something I have from childhood. So, lately, what I've been doing when I feel this, is that I do one nebulization with hydrogen peroxide as mentioned in that thread and it really clears up and opens up my respiratory system.

I think it could also help with hay fever.
 
@Jenn I can relate. My hay fever is now raining havoc on me.

The pollen here in the UK is currently very high!

I don't have any fancy protocol... I'm easing myself into summer. If I spend a whole day out, the next day I spend in. Usually I'd have hay fever play up from the night before into the following day. I stay in, wait out the symptoms the next day - usually takes like till early afternoon to subside.

I repeat the above process until my body gets used to the summer and usually it takes 3 or so weeks before the hay fever stops.(hoping for the pattern to hold this summer)

Having said the above, I did take vit c before bed and also take antihistamine the day I venture out. On my 'in' days I don't take antihistamine unless the symptoms are too irritating.
 
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