The first step in knowing whether you have hay fever is to know what hay fever is exactly and to understand the regulating mechanisms behind the hay fever symptoms.

Allergic Rhinitus can be classified into 2 groups, seasonal (hay fever) and Perennial Rhinitus. Hay fever is caused by specific pollens or moulds which are released at certain times of the year, whereas Perennial Rhinitus can be caused by a wide range of allergens that produce the same symptoms, commonly house dust. Often people who suffer from hay fever can also be allergic to a range of other allergens too.

Pollens are among the most allergenic of substances and hay fever can have a dramatic impact on severe sufferers lives. You are more likely to get hay fever if there is a prevalence of it in your family, and usually affects people between the ages of 20 - 40. It can interfere with exam results, has a detrimental effect in the work place, through days off sick, and impairs interaction with colleagues through drippy noses and sneezing. Hay fever affects driving and other demanding tasks, either by its symptoms or reduced reflexes due to medication. However, with perseverance, it is possible to control your hay fever effectively, by finding the right medication or by experimenting with a range of solutions.

Pollens fall into 3 families, grasses, trees, and herbaceous plants. The common plants associated with hayfever symptoms are as follows:

Grasses	Trees	Herbaceous plants
Couch grass	Birch	Ambrosia
Rye grass	Maple	Golden rod
Fescue	Alder	Nettle
Reeds	Hazel	Plantain
Meadow grass	Beech	Artemisia
Rye	Elm	Sheep sorrel
Meadow fox tail	Willow
	Poplar

A lot of the symptoms are commonly associated with other allergy conditions such as Dust mite, Asthma, Mould Allergy and Eczema.

There are several steps you can take to minimise the symptoms of Seasonal Rhinitus, or hay fever. Some of the most common preventative methods are:

•  Stay indoor with the windows closed during the morning hours, when pollen levels are the highest. Plants produce the most pollen between 5 and 10 a.m. and before dusk. Keep track of the pollen count by updating yourself with the Pollen Calendar. Click here to read our article on this topic.

•  While driving keep car windows and doors closed. Some cars can be fitted with car pollen filters.

•  Avoid summer meadows and areas of flowering grasses. Seaside areas usually contain lower pollen counts.

•  Wear sunglasses to stop any pollen from entering the eyes.

•  Wash clothes and hair after being outside to remove any trapped pollen. Dry clothes in tumble dryer; do not hang laundry outside as it collects pollen.

•  Do not plant tress or shrubs too close to the house and get rid of weeds.

•  Ceiling fans may aggravate the problem by drawing air into the house from outside. Use of HEPA Air Purifiers can remove 99.97% of particles such as pollen from the air. Click here to read article HayFever : Benefits of Air conditioning Air purifiers for allergen - Hay Fever control

•  It is important to maintain a healthy diet rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which helps strengthen the immune system to help fight against the hayfever symptoms. Read our article on nutrition and hay fever.

• Mowing the lawn is by far the most harmful exercise for anyone allergic to grass pollens and the mould that grows on grass
• Some tree pollens, e.g. horse chestnut are relatively heavy and so do not travel very far; making them easier to avoid
• Avoid mucus-forming foods such as dairy products, refined wheat products and processed foods in general.

If you suffer from Perennial Rhinitus which affects you all year round, you can help by avoiding mould spores, house dust and animal wastes around the house:

•  Keep the house dry all the time with the help of Dehumidifiers , which prevent surfaces around the house from being moist, which increase the chances of mould growth.

•  Vacuum frequently with a suitable vacuum cleaner that has high filtration to remove dust from carpets and floors to avoid dust mite growth.

•  In hot humid weather, an efficient air conditioner can help filter out particles in the air and leave the air cool and refreshed.

•  Keep bathroom surfaces and walls clean with the use of disinfectants, to prevent the formation of moulds. See our range of natural chemical free cleaning products.

•  If you are sensitive to animals, avoid contact, and wash hands after contact. It is important to have pets bathed and groomed regularly with the use of animal shampoos. You can also treat your home environment with allergy sprays, which will help to neutralise the allergy too. See our range of natural chemical free Pet products.

These are several types of treatments that can help with the symptoms of hay fever. These include:

Antihistamines: these help block the action of the histamine, the chemical substance that is produced in by the IgE antibody and causes many of the symptoms in hay fever. Targeting histamine molecule has been known to be the most effective form of treatment for hay fever. Sodium Cromoglycate: prevents allergic reaction in the nose and eyes.

Topical Remedies: Topical creams and ointments work by applying them directly on the skin surfaces, which blocks the common particles such as pollen from coming into contact with the skin. Topical corticosteroids work by reducing the inflammation and swelling of the tissue. They are known to work slower and last longer than most other medications, because of this they should be applied to prevent the common hay fever symptoms.

Decongestants: These work by shrinking the blood vessels and reduce the loss of fluid from the blood, which tends to be related to the symptoms hay fever. These can be sold in several medicinal forms such as Nasal Sprays, Tablets, and Syrups. The use of decongestants has been associated with common side effects such as high blood pressure and therefore should not be taken over a lengthy period of time. Barriers: These include products as simple as face masks, sunglasses or greasy barrier creams, such as Hay Max that can be applied to apply to the nasal passages to prevent pollen from aggravating your respiratory tract. Steroids: To reduce inflammation in the nose or eyes.

Desensitisation: Works in the same way as a vaccination. It involves a course of injections containing a small amount of pollen, allowing the body to build up a defence.Homeopathic Treatments shown to be of benefit in some trials.

Herbal Remedies For those people looking for natural hay fever relief, herbal remedies can help in reducing and preventing the hay fever symptoms. Many of the herbal remedies include ingredients from plant extracts- the same plants that can cause the allergic reaction. These come in many forms such as eye drops, tablets, syrups and nasal sprays. Some of the most common known herbs for hay fever relief are Luffa , Nettle, Eyebright and Euphrasia.

When trying to minimise your hay fever, it is important think about your home and work environment too. Allergens can be trapped in your clothes, your soft furnishings and even your pets fur, so you need to minimise your exposure to these allergens. The measures that you can take may include the use of Laundry Detergents that help neutralise pet, pollen and dust mite allergens from clothes and fabrics, and Anti Allergy sprays that oxidise allergens on surfaces around the home and the air. See our range of natural chemical free cleaning products.

Steam Cleaners: Steam cleaners are a very effective way to get rid of pollens, as the hot steam temperatures are able to kill the harmful effects of the allergens, and can effectively sterilize your carpets, soft furnishings and floors. A steam cleaner that uses suction, such as the Allergymatters Steambee Steam'n Vac can work even better for total allergen removal, and now there are even steam cleaners such as the allergymatters Steambee Steam ‘n Vac & Detergent that can be used with a dose of anti allergen solutions too.

Vacuums: Using a vacuum cleaner can have a dramatic effect in controlling allergens such as dust mites and pollen making the air more breathable and cleaner. Replace an old inefficient vacuum cleaner with one fitted with a HEPA filter which is capable of capturing 99.97% particles down to 0.3 microns

• Defence from the Environment:It is now known that indoor air can often be more polluted than the air outdoors and can have detrimental affects on your health. With people spending over 90% of their time within their home, you can't underestimate the importance of having clean, breathable air around the home.

Air Purifiers: Devices, which work to remove contaminants from the air, such as allergens, smoke particles and chemicals. Several factors should be considered when purchasing an air purifier, most important being the quality of the filter and the efficiency of the machine to output clean air (CADR- the clean air delivery rate).

Air conditioners and Air coolers: The typical function of air conditioners is to draw the hot air from your indoor environment, extract the heat and humidity and pump it outside, releasing cool air back indoors. Combining this function with high efficiency filters means that you can not only keep the air cool and dry, but can also filter harmful particles out of the air that cause indoor air pollution and allergic reactions. Several factors should be considered when purchasing the right Air Conditioner. Click here for Allergymatters in depth review of air conditioners and what to look for when purchasing one.

Dehumidifiers: These appliances reduce the amount of humid air indoors, which play an important role of mould growth and spores circulation within the air around the house.

Allergy UK
www.allergyuk.org

BBC Weather – pollen count
www.bbc.co.uk/weather/pollen

National Society for Research in Allergy
www.all-allergy.co.uk

National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit
http://www.pollenuk.co.uk/
http://www.pollenuk.co.uk/aero/ABPollenUK.html

Pollen UK
The pollen and spore monitoring network of the United Kingdom .

http://www.aaaai.org/AADMC/
The Allergy and Asthma Disease Management Center (AADMC) Web site has been constructed to provide timely, practical and important information to physicians from a wide variety of backgrounds and clinical practice.

http://www.allergyuk.org/art_hayfever.aspx
Allergy UK is the country's leading national medical charity dealing with allergy and we are here to help you. Allergy UK provides you with up to date information on all aspects of allergy, food intolerance and chemical sensitivity.

http://www.medinfo.co.uk/conditions/hayfever.html
website including conventional information on hayfever.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hay_fever/article_em.htm
Everything you need to know about hayfever including the symptoms, treatment and diagnosis.

http://www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/hayfever.htm
Directed by Dr. Morris, which talks about what is allergy, who gets allergy including hayfever or allergy rhinitis and other allergy products.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/allergies/allergicconditions_hayfever.shtml

www.bbc.co.uk/weather/pollen
BBC usually has a section on hayfever every season, probably the best link on this list!

http://www.allergyadvice.co.uk/
Allergy advice that offers up to date information in relation to Benadryl.

www.all-allergy.co.uk
National society for research in allergy