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How to beat this nasty spring time curse
27th March 2009
• Oh, woe is me!
• Simple, natural ways to beat the curse of
hay fever this spring
• How to ease allergy symptoms with your
thumb
'Cruel, cruel world!'
'O lament! Silence the clocks!'
'....Darn it!'
These are just some of the statements that have
uttered by yours truly.... every day since the Welsh
rugby team lost to Ireland last weekend.... by 2
points.
At the end of the match, my children had to tiptoe
out of the room. My wife hid all the crockery. The
dog hid under the kitchen table. The birds stopped
singing outside the window.
All you could hear was the sound of my fingernails
slowly scraping across the coffee table.
Fortunately, a brief blast of early British summer
weather last weekend quickly lifted me out of my
fug.
And while the 6 Nations season has come to an
end for another year, the first hint of sunny weather
got me thinking about a less appealing season that
begins in April and doesn't end til August.
Yes, it's almost that time of year again...
Behold! Allergy season!
I'm guessing this isn't a season that people are
desperately looking forward to. No advance tickets
or ticker tape parades. Not one to scrawl lovingly in
a diary with a happy face next to it.
But hey, I'm sure I can make things a little easier
with today's letter - an allergy special in preparation
for the spring's sneezefest.
So, without beating about the pollenfilled bush,
here are some vital tips:
• When you spot the first signs of hay fever,
try inhaling steam. Make a hot cup of honey
and lemon tea first thing in the morning.
Pour the boiling water into the cup then
inhale the steam for 2 5 minutes until it's
cool enough to drink. This helps clear out
your tubes. The drink will also give your
digestive system a healthy morning boost.
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• Likewise, before you have a morning bath or
shower, let the hot water run and breathe
in the steam first for a few minutes. Then
let it cool enough so you can wash without
scalding yourself.
• An alternative to the above is to try a
morning and evening 'face steam'. Get a
bowl of boiling water, add a little eucalyptus
or menthol oil, cover your head with a
towel, then bend over the bowl, and breathe
in and out.
• Get hold of some petroleum jelly. When
you need to go outside during a high pollen
count, smear some around the inside of
your nose. This filters out the irritants and
helps you breathe more easily.
• Try wrap-around shades when you go out.
Don't worry that you look like Bono from U2,
or a giant fly. They block out all the nasty
stuff that can drift into your eyes and tear
ducts.
• If you're allergic to dust mites and indoor
irritants, wear a dust mask over your nose
and mouth when you do your spring clean
or make the bed. Or better still, persuade
someone else to spring clean for you.
Explain your allergy problem than stand
behind them as you do your housework,
barking orders and shouting 'faster,
FASTER!' Great fun.
• Remember a few weeks ago I talked about
neti pots? These can also help. You fill the
pot with water, add salt, and then pour the
water into your nostril. As you breathe
through your mouth, the saline water flows
out the other nostril. Some are available on
Amazon for less than a tenner.
• Or even better, try the BreatheEasy
Saltpipe. You simply breathe into it for 5-10
minutes each day and allow the salt air to
clean out your tubes and flush away
impurities and irritants. There are some
available here: The Salt Pipe
• Try a jar of local honey. Some people
believe that giving yourself a dose of the
local pollen will help protect you from hay
fever.
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On this final point, my advice is to find a local
beekeeper or ask at a local farmer's market. You'll
need fairly raw honey to make this work, as the less
filtered stuff retains the bee pollen. Overheated
supermarket brands won't do the trick.
You can find out where your local supplier is at the
British Beekeper's Association's website:
www.bbka.org.uk
How to ease allergy symptoms... with
your thumb!
Dr Rob Hicks, the author of Beat Your Allergies
(published by Infinite Ideas, 2005) claims that
acupuncture can help overcome allergy symptoms.
This is something you could certainly ask your
doctor about.
Or if needles make you run screaming for the
nearest bottle of vodka, Dr Hicks also has an
interesting tip you can try at home (but not if you're
pregnant, as this can cause premature
contractions).
It goes like this...
You place your palm face down on a table. With
your other thumb press firmly into the 'v' shaped bit
between your index finger and thumb. The idea is
that you should put direct pressure on the bone that
attaches to your index finger.
He says this specific area is one of your
'antihistamine points'.
You now hold this for a minute, breathing deeply.
The do it on your other hand.
Give it a go, see what you think!
Or for more on hay fever and allergies, you should
go to my website. I've covered this a lot during the
past 4 years, so there are plenty of tips to read.
Go here to have a browse:
Good Life Letter
Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back on Sunday
with a fantastic natural pain relief idea for you. It's
really quick, easy and it really works.
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