Bit of a gear change now, because if, like me
you've been suffering from hay fever this summer, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear we're getting some top tips now from a doctor
Yes, so, with the first heatwave of the year this weekend, does that mean necessarily the pollen count's going to get higher
Allergy practitioner Dr Clare Anyama-Sigwe joins us now. Good to see you this morning
Very good to be here. Does the hot weather necessarily mean more pollen? It does. It actually accelerates the issue
So you've got pollen from the trees, from the grass, you've got pollution, and now you've got the heat wave as well
So that concoction flares up the skin, especially around the nostrils. We're streaming, we're sniffling, we're itching our eyes
So for me, as an allergist, my practice is about advocating for plant-based antihistamines
So I think the prep starts the night before. You're washing the clothes that you've worn the night, you know, during the day, so you're not bringing pollen into the home
you are eating quercetin ingredients like leeks garlic kale So you can make yourself a lovely soup you know or a lovely stew with those ingredients And then overnight what you doing you waking up
If you do need to take some supplements that have got those ingredients in as well
that's really, really good. You can do a breakfast smoothie. And then you're going to be using natural
sort of balms to use as a barrier around the nose with some lavender oil. You can pop some
cucumber on your eyes. That'll be a great relief to a lot of people. I also use a bit of aloe vera
as well, mixed with arnica. And then you're going out into the world, you know
facing the day with something to combat that naturally. That's my recommendation
I want to come up to antihistamines first. Drowsy versus non-drowsy, I can't take the drowsy ones in this job, it just ruins me
Of course. But are they less effective than... Are the non-drowsy ones less effective than the drowsy ones
Essentially, they are. Oh, no. No wonder. There are less of the ingredients in there that stop the streaming and all of the symptoms
However if you combat that and use it in conjunction with what I suggesting you won lose that energy You won have that lethargy that you feel the headaches And also the streaming will stop around the eyes You see I quite intrigued by the idea that you sort of say
there are things we can do in our sort of behaviour and diet. Does that mean then you can actually rule out the pharmacy
Well, look, I'm an AP, I'm an allergist. The general practitioner will say take, you know
your Puritan and your different brands over the counter. I would say use them together
If you are somebody that already eats quercetin-rich foods in your diet
you're doing a more plant-based diet, then you're ahead of the game. But if you're not and you've suddenly been hit this week
you know, 26 Celsius is going higher every day, 16 million of us are suffering with hay fever
3.4 million of that have hay fever and asthma. So for those sufferers, they're looking for a solution right now
Now, I would combine the two. I would start changing my diet to match what I've suggested
and I would also do what your GP suggests. We're running out of time, but I really quickly just want to ask you
one of our viewers wrote in and asked can acupuncture help with hay fever Is that something you ever heard of I never heard of that but I can see a link because of the nervous system but it not about nervous system for this
It's about immune boost. OK. So, like I said, your green ingredients, your berries
your oats, your banana, your kales, that's what it's about. Natural teas, nettle, turmeric
Again, for some of us, it's like, oh, these don't sound like the best-tasting ingredients
but actually that's going to boost the immune system and make you have a lot of things. I'll just go actually very quickly then
Do any of these things, if you take them year in, year out
do they have an impact over time and become less reactive to pollen
Yes, absolutely. And that's why I'm really advocating for children. If we can get parents watching this
to start children with natural raw honey, so find out about your local beekeepers
you know, start spreading your natural jams. I know it sounds like a lot of extra work
but actually by the time they reach adulthood... You've ever had hay fever. You know, you don't want those panda eyes
And you don't want that streaming, do you? Dr Clare, really good to talk to you
Thank you so much for having me on