Hay fever, seasonal and insect allergies

Definition:

Allergy is a disorder of the immune system often also referred to as atopy. Allergic reactions occur to environmental substances known as allergens; these reactions are acquired, predictable and rapid. Strictly, allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. It is characterized by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody known as IgE, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees. A variety of tests now exist to diagnose allergic conditions; these include testing the skin for responses to known allergens or analyzing the blood for the presence and levels of allergen-specific IgE.

Hay fever - a seasonal type of allergic rhinitis caused by pollen; it is characterized by itching and tearing of the eyes, swelling of the nasal mucosa, attacks of sneezing, and often by asthma.

Insect sting allergy is the term commonly given to the allergic response of an person in response to the bite or sting of an insect. Typically, insects which generate allergic responses are either stinging insects (wasps, bees, hornets and ants) or biting insects (mosquitoes, ticks). In anaphylactic patients the response is more aggressive leading to a systemic reaction where the response progresses from the sting site around the whole body. This is potentially something very serious and can lead to anaphylaxis which is potentially life threatening.

Environmental and chemically induced illness: a reaction to common components of a persons environment, including chemicals, food, water and physical particles, that results in symptoms relating to multiple organ systems and a general poor state of health.

Mr Stefan Chmelik on Hay fever, seasonal allergies, allergic rhinitis, dust mite allergy

There is a lot of stuff in the air that can irritate the sensitive airways of a great many people, including grass and tree pollen, pollution, dust mites, animal hair and others. Not all of these are seasonal of course, and symptoms can occur whenever exposed.

As avoidance may sometimes be impossible or inconvenient, treatment options are available, and are certainly not limited to antihistamines. Using a combination of strengthening the immune system to fight the reaction and detoxification to clear the symptoms can offer excellent results for most people. I have achieved this with many people using an appropriate combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine and diet.

Myself or one of my colleagues can offer tests to identify and target specific allergens, and Dr Damien Downing is an expert in EPD (Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization), which can be very effective for many common allergies.

Dr Damien Downing on Hay fever, seasonal allergies, insect allergy

Rhinitis (sneezing, blocked, runny and/or itchy nose), conjunctivitis, sore/itchy throat, and even asthma can be triggered by grass pollens in summer, tree pollens in spring, mould spores in autumn and at other times, as well as by exposure plus reaction to many other factors. These all share the same mechanisms as eczema, asthma and urticaria (hives). They are (broadly speaking) part of the single disorder known as atopy, which is associated with a particular form of antibody, IgE.

Anaphylaxis (a sudden, severe allergic reaction which causes collapse and can be life-threatening) is also caused by IgE antibodies, and must be borne in mind when dealing with all these diagnoses and in their treatment.

Rhinitis and the other symptoms can be triggered by exposure to a wide range of airborne and other factors. Because allergies most often develop at the “portal of entry”, rhinitis is most commonly triggered by airborne factors (“inhalant allergens”; pollens, animal fur, house dust mites etc). In recent decades there has been a big rise in reactions to the pollen of rapeseed, which has been widely planted and has irritant qualities.

In mainland Europe, but not in the UK, an important pollen allergen is Parietaria Officinalis, an insignificant-looking weed in the Nettle family. It grows on rubbish and out of walls, hence its old English name Pellitory-of-the-wall (in Australia it is known as Asthma Weed). The warmer the climate the longer its flowering season, so sufferers in Sicily for example may get symptoms from February to December.

Foods and food additives - things that are swallowed not inhaled - can also cause these problems. One such that is becoming more important is lupin; rhinitis, urticaria etc from allergy to lupin are well-known, but now that lupin flour is being used increasingly in foods there have been several cases of anaphylaxis linked to it.

Increasing numbers of people also get rhinitis from exposure to airborne chemical fumes, often together with sore throat and other more general symptoms.

Insect allergy: unpleasant reactions to insect bites/stings are surprisingly common, in allergic people at least. The ordinary sting that everybody experiences is a normal reaction to the insect injecting chemicals into you; when there is an allergic reaction as well the swelling at the site gets bigger, more painful, and may last longer and leave a scar. There is then a risk, increasing with each successive bite, that you may progress to an anaphylactic reaction, which will need immediate treatment.

Diagnosis Is not usually a problem when the timing and pattern of symptoms is known, but if necessary we can arrange skin tests or blood tests.

Treatment While treatment can help, avoidance may be simply impossible. Enzyme Potentiated Desensitisation has demonstrated success in improving inhalant allergies (9 out of the 10 controlled trials were positive). Treatments need to be scheduled for well before the season starts in order to work well, and many people only need 6 treatments over 6 years and then they remain symptom-free. On the other hand some sufferers opt for the “insurance-policy” approach of continuing after that to have one injection per year.

A component to treat insect allergies was introduced into EPD a few years ago; so far it seems to be working very well, with a rapid reduction in severity after the first injection.

Important Where there is a risk of anaphylaxis or other dangerous reaction, no treatment can remove the need for special precautions - usually to carry an adrenaline self-injector (EpiPen) at all times. If there is any doubt we would recommend this; your GP can prescribe or we can.

Other complementary modalities can sometimes yield good results in allergies and intolerances; we are happy to work with practitioners of these, and can refer you to experts within the New Medicine Group. The previous paragraph will still apply.

Dr Brian Kaplan on Hayfever and Seasonal Allergies:

Hayfever, although a very benign condition, can dramatically reduce one’s quality of life. Severe sneezing, painful itchy eyes and pain in the sinuses are all symptoms of hayfever. The problem is often seasonal as it is often due to an allergy to the pollens of various plants, trees and grasses. It can last anything from a few weeks to several months at any time of the Spring or Summer.

Orthodox treatment: Nasal inhalers of various sorts including steroids are one of the main ways conventional doctors treat hay fever. This needs to be repeated three to four times a day. The effect of this approach varies enormously and the treatment does not eradicate the problem but merely suppresses it. Oral antihistamines are also used. These can suppress the allergy but can have various side effects including drowsiness. Many patients coming for homeopathic remedies and natural treatment of hayfever have tried all the conventional approaches and are in search of a natural approach that may be able to treat the problem at its source if at all possible.

Homeopathy: There are three main ways of treating hayfever with homeopathic remedies:
1. Treating the Patient: Constitutional Treatment: A remedy is chosen to suit the constitution of the patient – the classical homeopathic approach. This can have an effect on the total health of the individual as it can act as an Holistic Stimulus. The individual with improved overall health may often find that the old hayfever symptoms are not happening since s/he has enjoyed improved overall health.
2. Treating the symptoms of Hayfever: Remedies will be chosen to suit your particular symptoms. Some patients suffer severe sneezing and mildly itchy eyes while others suffer mainly itchy eyes with some mild nasal discharge. A skilled homeopath is able to distinguish between many homeopathic sub-types of homeopathic remedies and find the one that suits your particular hayfever. It then becomes an option to give you that remedy alone or that remedy in combination with a constitutional remedy – as described in i).
3. Treating the Allergy: If we know or strongly suspect a particular cause of the allergy, we can prescribe an homeopathic remedy specifically for that allergy. A good example of this is the homeopathic remedy Mixed Grasses and Pollens
4. Nasal Douches (Neti): For many years I have incorporated the use of nasal douches into my treatment of hayfever and seasonal allergies. I learned about the use of Neti while studying Yoga Therapy many years ago and have used Neti nose cleaners ever since – sometimes with remarkable results. (Neti can also be an effective treatment for snoring!)

How Neti works: Besides breathing, the nose has 3 important functions. It filters, warms and moistens the air. This is why if your nose is blocked and you breath through your mouth, your throat and mouth can get dry and sore. This is because the air reaching them has not been ‘treated’ by the nose. Lining the inside of the nose are little mobile hairs called cilia. These cilia are able to trap pollens and germ and prevent them from getting into your system. However when we live in cities and breath poor quality air, the cilia can become matted and stuck to each other and not able to do their job as well. This is where Neti comes in useful. You will be taught to use the (very inexpensive) Neti apparatus to flush the nose with salt water in a very effective way. This cleans the nose, liberates the cilia and enables the nose to function much better as a filter. It then can filter the pollen better and results are often quite remarkable in my experience.

Desensitization: In some very severe cases of hayfever that do not respond to an holistic approach, I would recommend an approach called Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization practised by a colleague, Dr.Damien Downing at the New Medicine Group.

Overall: The majority of patients I see get a combination of homeopathy and treatment with Neti. Most patients get considerable relief from this treatment approach and in my experience this treatment regimen often results in a reduction of symptoms the next season as well.