The summer I was 18 years old, working as the receptionist for a large manufacturing company, I sat at my desk with swollen red eyes and itchy throat. The clients that came in were either sympathetic or horrified at my appearance. This began my long road toward healing my Seasonal Allergies.
Pathology: [Allergic rhinitis is seasonal or perennial itching, sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, and sometimes conjunctivitis, caused by exposure to pollens or other allergens. Diagnosis is by history and occasionally skin testing. First-line treatment is with a nasal corticosteroid (with or without an oral or a nasal antihistamine) or with an oral antihistamine plus an oral decongestant.
Merck Manual Professional
Allergic rhinitis may occur seasonally or throughout the year.
Seasonal allergies or Hay fever, affects a large portion of the population. Symptoms are numerous but can include; runny nose, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes, itchy throat/ears etc.
Allergy sufferers like myself have likely tried every over the counter solution available to them. These antihistamines work for a bit and then they stop working and you have to switch to a new one and it creates a vicious cycle. I know because that was me for years. I tried every OTC allergy medication, they’d work for a month or a summer and then they were useless to me the next time I needed it.
Homeopathy has been a great tool for many in the treatment of allergies. Kent spoke about hay fever in his lectures, “It is really only an explosion of chronic disease, that is, it is a manifestation of psora and can be eradicated only by antipsoric treatment. Many a time have I seen hay fever wiped out in one season by a short-acting remedy, only to return the next just the same, and perhaps another remedy will be required. As soon as the hay fever is stopped you must begin with constitutional treatment…It is a difficult matter to find a constitutional remedy when the hay fever is at its height, for it resembles an acute disease” (Kent’s Lectures).
In plain English he’s saying that seasonal allergies are an expression of an underlying Chronic condition. The best course of action, he found, was that one Homeopathic medicine be used to treat the allergy symptoms during their peak and that the person continue with Homeopathic treatment in the “off-season” to deal with the underlying chronic case.
With that in mind, here are a few common Homeopathic medicines for Seasonal Allergies:
Allium cepa
-Coryza with burning nasal discharge which may even excoriate the nose or upper lip.
-Profuse watery discharge, “like a faucet.” The patient stuffs tissue inside to stop the flow.
-Hay fever, worse from flowers, worse in warm rooms, worse on the left side, worse late afternoon or evening, better open air.
Euphrasia
-Coryza with bland rhinorrhea and acrid, profuse lacrimation (opposite to All-C).
-Eyes burning, irritated; photophobia; intense blinking.
-Copious, thin discharge from eyes and nose.
-Better from open air, winking, wiping eyes, dark, in bed or getting out of bed, from coffee.
-Worse wind, warmth, from sunlight, indoors, in the evening, after sleep.
Gelsemium
-Acute coryza with dull headache and fever. Coryza with thin acrid watery discharge. Stuffed nose. Coryza with influenza. Sneezing, fullness at root of nose. Sneezing, early morning. Swelling of turbinates. Nosebleed with suppressed menses. Sensation as if hot water flowing from the nostrils. Hay fever. Watery, excoriating discharge. Nasal catarrh, with prostration, with sore throat. Nasal voice. Coryza in changeable weather. Itching and tickling in soft palate and naso-pharynx. Dryness of nose.
left sided coryza
Better open air, sweating, shaking, bending forwards, continued motion, reclining, with head held high, in afternoon.
Worse emotions or excitement, surprise, anxiety, shocks/ordeals, bad news. Worse motion, from anticipation, thinking of his ailments, damp weather. Worse humid weather, spring, before a thunderstorm, heat of sun, summer. Worse at 10 a.m.
Sabadilla
-Hay fever with tremendous sneezing; where sneezing is the primary complaint. Paroxysms of sneezing of ten or more sneezes, worse cold, worse odors and perfumes.
– Itching and tingling in the nose.
– Generally thin and copious nasal discharge, often acrid.
-Coryza symptoms better by warmth and warm drinks.
Better from heat, warm food and drink, swallowing. Better being wrapped up, open air. Better quick motion of affected part. Warm stove ameliorates chilliness. Worse from cold air. Worse forenoon, new and full moon. Worse periodically, every week, two weeks, four weeks, same hour. Worse odours, wine. Worse undeveloped rash. Worse mental exertion. Worse forenoon.
Wyethia
-Tremendous itching in the nose, throat and palate and sometimes extending to the ears.
– Must forcibly rub the tongue back and forth over the palate to sooth the itching.
– Throat swollen and irritated.
– Constant clearing of the throat.
-Worse afternoon, after eating. Worse motion. Worse exercise,
Naja tripudans
-Hay fever with dry larynx. Hay asthma. Flow of water from nose, then intense sneezing which betters the breathing.
Great relief of pain and breathing by lying on right side. Better from walking or riding in open air, sneezing, smoking. Worse from stimulants, alcohol, cold air, drafts, riding in carriage, touch, pressure of clothes. Worse lying on left side, after sleep, after menses. Headache worse at 3 p.m.
Of course these are just some medicines. Interested in treating your seasonal allergies with Homeopathy? Give me a call and set up an appointment to start treatment!