Re: Hay Fever
 

The red light phototherapy works by desensitising the lining of your nose.
It doesn't work for everybody, but a double blind clinical trial showed a reasonably high percentage success rate.

ScienceDirect.com - Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology - Narrow-Band Red Light Phototherapy in Perennial Allergic Rhinitis and Nasal Polyposis
Following treatment, improvement of symptoms was reported by 72% of the allergic rhinitis patients and objective improvement was endoscopically demonstrated in 70% of them as compared with 24% and 3%, respectively, in the placebo group. These differences were significant. No improvement was obtained in any of the patients with polyposis.

The conventional method of 'desensitising' is either antihistamines or steroids.

When these are taken orally they are bound to have an effect on more than just your nose.

I am reluctant to even use antihistamine and/or steroids in a nasal spray, because mucous membranes have a great capacity for allowing whatever they are in contact with, to pass into the bloodstream.

Re: Hay Fever
 

now that is a change ... me beating you ... :p

Re: Hay Fever
 

The trees at the back don't look as though they are birch, so I am taking the risk of opening my windows at the back, and keeping front windows closed.
Opening windows to change the air is essential.

I do have two air cleaning devices

..: Airfree :..
but they don't generate oxygen, and unlike Jaysay, I don't get it free on the NHS :D

Re: Hay Fever
 

I have my fingers crossed as I say this.....this year I haven't had any symptoms of hay fever.
I used to get it really badly....have been known to stop my car on the way to work in order to stem the flow from my eyes and nose....recently, it hasn't affected my nose so much, but my eyes have been itchy sore and have run like a tap........this year, so far(fingers still crossed) Nothing.
Only Piriton worked for me......made me sleepy too...couldn't take them and go to work.

Funnily enough didn't have it when I visted Oz....wonder if antipodean pollen is different.

Re: Hay Fever
 

Their trees are different - no birch, hawthorn etc

Re: Hay Fever
 

Yes, the hawthorn near us is just beginning to flower...so I may not be out of the woods(no pun intended) yet.

Re: Hay Fever
 

Just found a spray here in Italy which works!! Just once a day for a week and I've been symptom free. It's produced by Schering-Plough and the main component is:
Mometasone furoato monoidrato. Obviously This is written in Italian but a good chemist should be able to work it out. It's good because it doesn't make me sleepy like the pills do

Re: Hay Fever
 

It's a steroid:

Mometasone furoate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Re: Hay Fever
 

I wish to god I didn't get it Margaret, you know your card is marked when you have to walk round with a tube up your nose 24 hours a day:(

Re: Hay Fever
 

Just to compound the misery of runny nose and itchy eyes, I have a shower (have no bath) which malfunctions in hot weather :(

The water pipe which feeds my shower runs through the loft, and as the air in the loft heats up the shower gets fed hot water and shuts down.

I have re-set it, after locating the instructions how, but the effort of doing that has sapped what little energy I had to take a shower in the first place.

I sit here sweltering and smelling.

I can only open two of my four windows due to those sodding beech trees at the front. I have an air conditioning/cooling machine but to use it I need to put the air exhaust pipe through a front window.

I think the answer is to become a night owl - sleep during the day and awake all night, when it's cooler.

Oh dear - won't be possible - the empty flat below mine is to have its bathroom and kitchen refurbished (smashed to bits) starting tomorrow.

A thunderstorm and heavy rain would be wonderful.

Re: Hay Fever
 

Not always, Margaret! In recent years my hayfever has been wonderfully under control but a heavy downpour can throw everything up in the air and actually make things worse.

Sounds bizarre but I'm not the only one who reacts this way.

Re: Hay Fever
 

That has been my experience too. People would tell me that I couldn't have Hay fever(or pollen allergy) as it always gets better when it rains....for me it invariably got worse.

Re: Hay Fever
 

Of course Hay Fever is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen, as is, for a lot of people, asthma, although I've got chronic bronchial asthma, pollen has no effect on me what so ever, nor do cats or dogs, but put me near trees and its a different matter,

Re: Hay Fever
 

Trees produce pollen - that is the current problem.
I have read a fair bit about birch tree pollen recently.
High pollen years and low pollen years alternate - we are on a 'high' this year.

Re: Hay Fever
 

Well I was aware of tree pollen Margaret, but was just making the comparison, lots of people are surprised when I tell them that grass or flower pollen doesn't effect me one bit, I can leave my windows open when they mow the grass, but if I go across Merlin Drive, to where there are trees I start wheezing very badly, never noted which trees are worse than other though