Tired of Sniffling, Sneezing from Seasonal Allergies?
We had an unbelievably mild winter this year. If you are like me, you are not a huge lover of the bitter cold. I was so happy to see the flowers blooming earlier than usual. Unfortunately, this means that all those lovely flowers and trees developed pollen earlier in the spring. Because of this, more people are experiencing more severe allergies than usual.
My Story
Lucky for all of us there is Homeopathic Medicine. I know I might sound a bit biased. But, just hear me out. Homeopathy has significantly improved my health in many areas including seasonal allergies. I developed a very intense allergy to Ragweed in the Fall of 1996 after living in Austin, Texas for approximately 2 years. My allergies seemed to get worse every year. And, they were awful. Imagine the worst head cold you have ever had, with constant burning, watery eyes and sneezing, and that was what I was like from the end of August to the first frost of each year. I tried everything from pharmaceutical medications, which stopped symptoms but never addressed my body’s sensitivity to develop allergies in the first place, herbs, acupuncture. You name it...I tried it. It wasn’t until I saw a Homeopath that I started to notice a huge improvement in my symptoms. Every year my allergies got better. Now, I may only have 1 or 2 bad days. This is a huge improvement in my quality of life.
What is Homeopathy anyway?
Homeopathy is an ideal form of treatment because it can lower your susceptibility to develop allergies through chronic treatment and treat acute symptoms of allergies as well. I have had two bad flare-ups of spring allergies this year—both times; homeopathic medicines cured the symptoms.
Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that used remedies made from natural substances to stimulate your body to heal itself. The key to a successful prescription of a homeopathic medicine is based on individualization. If we use the example of acute symptoms of allergies, we are looking for a remedy that is the best match for your specific symptoms. Homeopaths will ask very specific questions about your allergies such as;
-Are you sneezing? What kind of discharge is there? When is the sneezing worse?
-Are you sniffling or is your nose running or is it blocked?
-What about your eyes? Are they itchy, watering, burning etc.?
-What else has changed since your allergies have gotten worse? This can include
changes in appetite, thirst, food cravings; feeling colder or hotter than
usual, changes in your mood and much more.
Some Remedies for Allergies:
Allium Cepa:
Have you ever experienced burning discharges from the eyes or nose and sneezing while cutting an onion? The Homeopathic remedy made from the red onion will work on similar symptoms in hayfever. So, if you have sneezing with a discharge that burns as well as watery eyes, Allium Cepa may be the remedy for your allergy symptoms. There can also be a dull headache located in the forehead, watering eyes, feeling hot and thirsty with a lack of appetite, generally feels worse inside and in the evening and is better outside in the fresh air. There can also be great sensitivity to the smell of flowers.
Euphrasia:
If the eyes are the problem, you might want to take a look at this remedy from the plant Eyebright. This remedy can cure allergic symptoms that are the opposite of Allium Cepa. In Euphrasia, there is a lot of watering of the eyes accompanied by a lot of burning while the sneezing is quite bland. Other symptoms can include a dull headache accompanied by profuse watering of the eyes, the eyes are very sensitive to light, frequent burning of the eyes that makes the patient wink frequently; redness of the eyes.
Sabadilla:
This remedy is also especially useful in the acute treatment of allergies. Its symptom picture includes burning red eyelids, with tears flowing worse during sneezing, yawning and coughing. There is violent or spasmodic sneezing along with a runny nose. The secretions are watery, worse from the odor of flowers, even from thinking about flowers. The patient picks at his nose because it feels dry and itchy. Cold air definitely makes the patient feel worse. The throat is painful especially on empty swallowing, is better from hot drinks and the pain can go from left to right.
Pulsatilla:
Pulsatilla is a remedy that is commonly prescribed in practice for a variety of chronic complaints, but it is also an excellent remedy for acutes such as coughs, colds and allergies. Symptoms that indicate its use include burning or itching of the eyes that causes rubbing, stuffed up nose inside but fluent outdoors. There is usually a strong desire for fresh air. There can also be discharges that are bland and yellow from the nose or eyes. In general, people who need Pulsatilla are gentle and weepy with their ailments. There will often be a desire for rich and creamy foods and thirstlessness.
Keep in mind that there may be a remedy that is a better match for your specific symptoms that the few that are listed here. If you don’t feel a significant improvement within 24 hours, please consult a trained Homeopath for a consultation.
Rebecca Gower, B.A, M.A., DSHM (hons), is a Homeopathic Physician. She runs her clinic, Red Pearl Homeopathy, in the Annex in Toronto. For more information, she can be reached at 647-688-8290 or redpearlhomeopathy@gmail.com. You can also check out her website at www.redpearlhomeopathy.com.
