It is that time of the year again that pollens are flying everywhere and people are sneezing in the street. Most chemical medications for allergies have side effects and they are not suitable for pregnant women and young children. Homeopathic medicines are effective, safe, and free of side effects. Rhus Toxicodendron, Apis Mellifica, Allium Cepa, Euphrasia, Sabadilla are classical remedies for allergic symptoms. Histaminum is a homeopathic anti-histamine which nullifies the effects of histamine by modifying the bodies response to histamine release. You can get combinations of these remedies in a single preparation for example Henry’s Allergy Mix, Hay Fever Mix, Sabalia®, Corysalia®, etc.. During attacks, you take a dose every 30 minutes and symptoms should be under control within 3 doses. For chronic cases you can take the Allergy Mix three times daily until symptoms improve.
If the allergy causes a cough there are homeopathic cough syrups that might help, e.g. Stodal®(Boiron) and Brococin® (Heel). If the allergy is causing an asthmatic attack, the bronchospasm may improve by taking Tartephedreel® which works like ephedrine but without the side effects. Many a time, the allergy will cause itchy and weepy eyes. There is a homeopathic eye drop called Oculoheel® that is contact lens safe. In order to separate the pollens from the nasal mucosa, one can apply a homeopathic nasal ointment called Homeoplasmin®. This ointment is especially useful if you expect yourself to be exposed to allergens as when you are shopping for bedding plants in a green house, in which case you should apply the ointment just before you arrive at the green house.
In order to minimize seasonal allergies that come back every year, you should do an annual prevention program just before the allergy season. This consists of a weekly dose of Pollen 30CH, and a weekly dose of Thymuline 9CH taken on a separate day of the week. Both Pollen 30CH and Thymulline 9CH come in boxes of 5 doses each. A five week course is usually adequate but for severe cases, you might have to increase the dose to twice a week for both. The Pollen 30CH desensitizes the body against common pollens and tree dusts in this part of the world. The Thymuline 9CH balances the immunity so the spectrum of the immunity that reacts to the allergens would not react violently when in contact with allergens.
Naturally you should avoid contact with the allergens if you know what they are. Anti-oxidants like grape seed extract and quercetin are known to help allergic reactions. A daily dose all year round might minimize allergic symptoms in the spring. Vitamin C usually is not strong enough for allergies. If you know exactly what you are allergic to, then you can get specific homeopathic nosodes to desensitize your body so next time you get in touch with these allergens the body will not response with undesirable symptoms. Common allergen nosodes include pollens, moulds (fungi), dusts, grains, etc. Systemic oral enzyme therapy also is known to help bad allergies that do not respond to any other therapy. The most commonly used enzyme preparation for allergies is Wobenzyme® that has an enteric coating to protect the enzymes from stomach acid. When taking enzymes for allergies they should be taken on an empty stomach for proper absorption. By contrast, the usual enzyme preparations for digestive problems should be taken with food, and are not suitable for allergies.
Strengthening the target organ (the organ that is involved with allergy symptoms) like the skin and nasal mucosa can be achieved by taking a combination preparation of glucosamine, MSM and anti-oxidants like Recovery®. If the skin and mucus membranes are strengthened, they will not be so vulnerable to the assault by histamine and harmful interleukins. Successful management of your allergy symptoms calls for attacking the problem at more than one level. You need to treat the symptoms, balance your immunity, desensitize your body, and separate yourself from the allergens.
Henry Cheng is a medical graduate of the University of London, England and is now Natural Products Consultant at Pharmasave Downtown Cloverdale.
