Hay Fever

Research shows that in Victoria the grass pollen is by far the most common cause of hay fever usually between the date of October 1st and December.

Pollen is the fine, powdery substance released by anthers, a part of the flower. Interestingly pollen grains contain the male gametes of plant, which makes male sperm the closest analogous type of cell to pollen in the human body.

Plants release their pollen when they are flowering and different types plants flower at different times of the year. Many deciduous trees such as birch, plane and elm flower in late winter and early spring, for example , whereas many grasses flower in the period from October to December.

A number of factors affect the daily count , including daily fluctuations in temperature, wind conditions, humidity and precipitation, and of course the biology of the grasses themselves. Melbourne's worst grass pollen days are often in November, when hot northerly winds bring pollen into the city from pastures in the surrounding countryside.

With the thunder asthma in 2016 for many the Melbourne pollen count is important. There are now websites and apps you can get to monitor the days.

It is the time of the year that we start to see people coming in to the clinic with hay fever symptoms. This year, due to the great rains we have had and the extensive growth in grasses and gardens, the hayfever has hit some people quite severely. Hayfever symptoms can be as simple as a sniffly nose thru to the full on itchy eyes, itchy throat, sneezing, headaches and tiredness. The mucus production is one thing, but the inflammation in the sinus' is a big part of the problem too. For most people hayfever is a seasonal allergy occuring in Spring when the grasses are lush, the blossoms and flowers are out and the spring winds move these substances through the air.

Here at the clinic we have many remedies for these reactions to the environment . For it is your body's reaction. Not everyone has a reaction to these substances. But with some natural remedies the body will cope better with the seaonal effects. We aim for you to have no symptoms but definitely for you to get relief and a less severe reaction. Many people use remedies like antihistamines from the chemist but with natural remedies you may not need these any longer.

The other thing we find is secondary infections that make the hayfever symptoms worse. In these cases we treat the infection and then deal with the hayfever so a repeat infection is less likely.

Each person is different and there are many remedies we test for. The aim is for you to take as little as possible to get the best result. Our job is to find the right remedy for you individually. In improving your health overall you will be less allergenic to not only foods but environment.

Some of the remedies we use are:

If you would like some help with your hayfever please call the clinic on 9844 4881 or click here for an appointment.