Pollination is the process of moving pollen from one plant to another. It is through this process that plant reproduction happens. Unfortunately, along with staying on mission to fertilize plants and tree flowers, pollen particles often end up in our noses, eyes, ears and mouths.
Pollen allergy, most commonly known as hay fever, inflicts one out of ten individuals. Hay fever is seasonal allergic rhinitis and it is characterized by regular bouts of sneezing, a runny, clogged or itchy nose, itchy, watery red eyes, and an itchy throat.
The awful truth
Allergic rhinitis is serious and debilitating. Unchecked, allergic rhinitis can affect your quality of life. Not only does it cause nasal obstruction, excessive sneezing and watery eyes. It also causes sleep disturbances and consequently, daytime fatigue. Moreover, chronic attacks of allergic rhinitis make one susceptible to viral and bacterial infections which can lead to worsening of asthma and respiratory ailments.
Unfortunately, a lot of people who suffer from allergic rhinitis misdiagnose themselves and think they are suffering from the common cold.
A taste of its own medicine
Since pollen come from plants, fight back allergic rhinitis with other plants! Yes, there are herbal ways to soothe allergies so that spending time outdoors won’t be punctuated by red eyes, itchy noses and nasal congestion and make outdoor fun a challenge.
Herbs are generally considered to be quite safe, and they can be an important addition to your natural allergy treatment regimen. However, be aware that natural substances are contraindicated for some conditions and they can affect the way your body utilizes certain medications.
The following herbs are listed in the literature as natural antihistamines or decongestants
- Bromelain shows promise in decreasing the inflammation associated with allergies. It is often used in combination with quercetin.
- Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) has been found to block both histamine and leukotrienes. Relieves nasal allergy symptoms.
- Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) may help soothe irritated eyes.
- Magnesium helps calm lower respiratory allergies and wheezing.
- Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica/urens) have been shown to slightly improve allergy symptoms and have historically been used for that purpose.
- Vitamin C appears to counter histamine and decrease allergy symptoms.
- Zinc helps control inflammation in the respiratory tract and support proper immune function.
Sugar pie honey bunch
Aside from the above suggested remedies, you may also try honey. It may seem odd that straight exposure to pollen often triggers allergies but that exposure to pollen in the honey usually has the opposite effect. But this is typically what we see.
In honey, the allergens are delivered in small, manageable doses, and the effect over time is very much like that from undergoing a whole series of allergy immunology injections. The major difference, though, is that the honey is a lot easier to take, and it is certainly a lot less expensive. One will be always surprised that this powerful health benefit of local honey is not more widely understood, as it is simple, easy and often surprisingly effective.
Pharmaceutical companies have huge budgets and can fund studies, but with honey, this scientific research doesn’t seem to get funded; thus, most evidence we have is what we see, anecdotal evidence. That, however, can be and often is important; sometimes or actually often, such evidence proves very useful.

Millions of Americans suffer from ocular allergies or what is in layman’s term, eye allergy. Still, people often mistake this for ordinary eye problems such as tired eyes. This is because most of the symptoms of eye allergies are quite common.
People do not realize that what their eye problems are actually being triggered by a specific allergen that they do not know. Pinpointing the exact allergen is another trick that is hard to master as there are a host of things that can trigger an eye allergy, from dust and dirt to the smoke in the air or a very strong chemical.
It is however, important to be on the look out for episodes of eye allergies as the condition can lead to permanent damage to your eyes through excessive scratching and rubbing. One cannot blame them though as eye allergies can be extremely uncomfortable and sometimes even painful. It is a must then that people learn to identify what is an eye allergy episode from ordinary ones and save their eyes from potential troubles.
Here are some of the symptoms that people should watch out for. Some are more prevalent than the others. Some do not even manifest at all. This is why it has been so hard to determine an eye allergy episode from an ordinary one.
Symptoms of eye allergy include:
Itching
Redness of the eyes
Tearing of the eyes or watery eyes
Swelling of the lids
There are also less common ones like:
Scratchy feeling in the eye
Redness of the eyelids
Blurred, hazy, or unclear vision
Swelling of the eyeball
The sensation that something is in the eye
Swelling or puffiness of the eyelids
Increased sensitivity to light, also known as photophobia
Eye allergy relief may be achieved through the use of something as simple as an eye drop or an eye allergy medicine that your doctor will provide. This depends on the intensity of the symptoms that you are experiencing and the extent of the eye allergy.
For temporary eye allergy relief, one may of course use eye drops. But one must remember that eye drops may also be used in minor eye troubles that do not last for an extended period of time. Eye drops are good only in relieving the redness of the eyes or the itchiness caused by the eye allergies. It can also help relieve ocular pressure and prevent glaucoma.
In choosing an eye drop that will relieve your eye allergy problems, it is good that you pick one that is especially formulated to solve your predicament. There are in fact eye drops in the market that are made especially for eye allergies. These usually contain antihistamines or an agent that will lubricate the eyes.
Though there are a lot of eye medicines in the market providing eye allergy relief, it is still important that you consult a professional before you take anything. Remember that the eyes are very sensitive to any form of chemicals.
Knowing the right medicine to take will also help you to not only cure or get rid of a eye allergy episode but also help you in the management and prevention of future ones. Your doctor will surely be able to recommend a drug that you can keep on standby when you get another. What is more, your doctor can also determine exactly what you are allergic at, which you can then avoid.