Allergen Practitioner Doctor Clare Anyiam-Osigwe has shared her top tips for tackling hay fever this summer season, as the warmer weather brings a higher pollen count for sufferers.Speaking to GB News, Dr Anyiam-Osigwe revealed some key diet changes and lifestyle tips to help alleviate symptoms.FULL STORY HERE.
00:00A bit of a gear change now, because if, like me, you've been suffering from hay fever this summer,
00:04I'm sure you'll be glad to hear we're getting some top tips now from a doctor.
00:09Yes, so, with the first heatwave of the year this weekend, does that mean necessarily the pollen count's going to get higher?
00:17Allergy practitioner, Dr Clare Anyama-Sigwe, joins us now. Good to see you this morning.
00:22Very good to see you.
00:23Does the hot weather necessarily mean more pollen?
00:25It does. It actually accelerates the issue. So you've got pollen from the trees, from the grass, you've got pollution, and now you've got the heatwave as well.
00:35So that concoction flares up the skin, especially around the nostrils. We're streaming, we're sniffling, we're itching our eyes.
00:42So for me, as an allergist, my practice is about advocating for plant-based antihistamines.
00:48So I think the prep starts the night before. You're washing the clothes that you've worn the night, you know, during the day, so you're not bringing pollen into the home.
00:57You are eating quercetin-rich ingredients like leeks, garlic, kale. So you can make yourself a lovely soup, you know, or a lovely stew with those ingredients.
01:07And then overnight, what you're doing, you're waking up. If you do need to take some supplements that have got those ingredients in as well, that's really, really good.
01:15You can do a breakfast smoothie. And then you're going to be using natural sort of balms to use as a barrier around the nose with some lavender oil.
01:24You can pop some cucumber on your eyes. That would be a great relief to a lot of people.
01:27I also use a bit of aloe vera as well, mixed with arnica. And then you're going out into the world, you know, facing the day with something to combat that naturally. That's my recommendation.
01:40I want to come up to antihistamines first. Drowsy versus non-drowsy. I can't take the drowsy ones in this job. It just ruins me.
01:47Of course.
01:48But are they less effective than, are the non-drowsy ones less effective than the drowsy ones?
01:53Essentially, they are.
01:54Oh, no.
01:55Yeah, there are less, you know, of the ingredients in there that stop the streaming and all of the symptoms.
02:03However, if you combat that and use it in conjunction with what I'm suggesting, you won't lose that energy.
02:09You won't have that lethargy that you feel, the headaches. And also the streaming will stop around the eyes.
02:14You see, I'm quite intrigued by the idea that you sort of say there are things we can do in our sort of behaviour and diet.
02:20Does that mean then you can actually rule out the pharmacy?
02:24Well, look, I'm an AP. I'm an allergist. The general practitioner will say take, you know, your Puritan and your different brands over the counter.
02:32I would say use them together. If you are somebody that already eats quercetin rich foods in your diet, you're doing a more plant based diet, then you're ahead of the game.
02:41But if you're not and you've suddenly been hit this week, you know, 26 Celsius is going higher every day.
02:4816 million of us are suffering with hay fever. 3.4 million of that have hay fever and asthma.
02:54So for those sufferers, they're looking for a solution right now.
02:58Now, I would combine the two. I would start changing my diet to match what I've suggested and I would also do what your GP suggests.
03:05We're running out of time, but I really quickly just want to ask you, one of our viewers wrote in and asked, can acupuncture help with hay fever?
03:12Is that something you've ever heard of?
03:14I've never heard of that, but I can see a link because of the nervous system.
03:18But it's not about nervous system for this. It's about immune boost.
03:21OK.
03:22So, like I said, your green ingredients, your berries, your oats, your banana, your kales, that's what it's about.
03:29Natural teas, nettle, turmeric.
03:32Again, for some of us, like, oh, these don't sound like the best tasting ingredients, but actually that's going to boost the immune system.
03:39I'll just go actually very quickly.
03:40Do any of these things, if you take them year in, year out, do they lessen your, do they have an impact over time and become less reactive to pollen?
03:51Yes, yes, absolutely.
03:53And that's why I'm really advocating for children.
03:55If we can get parents watching this to start children with natural raw honey, so find out about your local beekeepers, you know, start spreading your natural jams.
04:04I know it sounds like a lot of extra work, but actually by the time they reach adulthood.
04:08You've ever had hay fever.
04:09You know, you don't want those panda eyes and you don't want that streaming, do you?
