Pollen allergies and headaches are often said to be unrelated, but if suffer from pollen allergies year after year and than suffer from the related headaches they cause, they become very related.
These headaches hurt and in most cases what you have tried does not work very effectively. In some cases you may have gone to your allergist or regular doctor several times but the splitting headache that rests right in the middle of your eyes remains there. It is not your imagination; it is very, very real.
But there may be two very effective solutions that most of the medical community will not tell you about. Two solutions that are very inexpensive and have existed for thousands of years but several people have still not tried them.
Natural Honey and Feverfew may be the answer you are looking for.
Seasonal Pollen:
A seasonal allergy is an allergic reaction to tiny egg-shaped powder like grains that are released; or if they really affect you, you might say that they are hurled at you. To make it even worse, they are not just spring time releases as they can occur in the spring, the summer, or the fall. The only real relief you have is the winter months.
Pollen allergies can come from trees, weeds, and even grass. They are carried by the wind or by insects that use the pollen to pollinate other plants that are similar in nature. When this pollen hits you, it can affect your eyes, nose, lungs, and in some cases, even your skin. All of them could be the cause of your headaches.
There are also some experts that will tell you that pollen spread by insects such as honey bees does not cause seasonal allergies, only pollen that is carried by the wind. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Spring time allergies are usually caused by tress, summertime allergies by grass, and fall allergies by weeds. If all of these pollens safely reached their targeted designation, there would be no issues, but they don’t. A lot of them end up in your nose, eyes, or throats and are often referred to as hay fever or rose fever.
Fighting Pollen:
Your body has several natural defense mechanisms to fight the allergen produced by pollen as well as other types of allergen. Your nose, mouth, eyes, and lungs are the first line of defense, but if the pollen is severe enough, it will pass quickly though these defenses, and when that happens, there is a series of events that take place.
Your body produces an antibody called IgE that binds allergens together. These antibodies than attach with each other in forms of blood cells to release a wide variety of chemicals. One of those chemicals is histamine, and this chemical causes most of the symptoms that you are suffering from.
This is why most all over the counter allergy medications contain histamine as it is somewhat effective for some people in reducing allergy reactions. But for several people it is only that, somewhat effective, and does nothing for the headaches. In addition, there are several potential side affects from histamine such as dry mouth, potential interactions with alcohol, and in some cases could actually cause intoxication like affects.
Local Honey:
The key to using honey in fighting allergies is that it must be local honey, and the more local the better. Most of the allergies that you will suffer from will come for something that is producing pollen that you are being exposed to over and over again. Otherwise, you would not have the continuous headaches and allergy symptoms.
It could be the plant or shrub in your front yard or your neighbor’s yard, or it could something that is growing in fields if you live in the country and the livestock is eating it. But you are constantly exposed to it.
The misconception from experts that tell you the pollen that causes the vast majority of allergies is from non flowering plants that honey bees do not pollinate leave out one major factor. Several of the pollen producing plants is what are referred to as amphipilous, which means that they are pollinated by both bees and the wind.
But they seem to miss this step.
It may be only a small part of what the honeybee collects in his daily business, but it can make all the difference in the world to your allergies. Honeybees collect pollen from several species of plants in the areas that they work in. Taking a couple of teaspoonfuls a day of local honey or eating it on bread or a biscuit will give your immune system a tremendous boost.
The best results will come from starting the process before the allergy season starts, and than eating small amounts of honey from spring until fall. It will be like taking several allergy shots but in most all cases it is much more effective.
There are also several other benefits from honey; it contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and Vitamin C, as well as small amounts of copper, iodine and zinc. It can turn your entire allergy suffering symptoms around very quickly.
Feverfew:
Feverfew is a member of the sunflower family and has been used for centuries in Europe and was found only in Europe. It has also been a folk medicine remedy for headaches, arthritis, and fevers for centuries. The actual term is a Latin derivative that means fever reducer.
Because of its success, it is now found throughout Europe, Australia, and North America. It has an active compound known as parthenolide and it appears that this compound helps to relieve muscle spasms. However, it is also particularity effective in constricting blood vessels in the brain.
It is the opinion of many experts that blood vessels that grow, even if just slightly in the brain, cause the vast majority of headaches, especially migraines and allergy induced headaches.
It exploded in popularity in Great Britain in the 1980’s where several tests were conducted and over 70% of those tested showed immediate improvement when using Feverfew in both migraine and allergy headaches. Feverfew is available fresh, freeze dried, or in capsule tablet, or liquid extract form.
It does have potential side effect if you are subject to bleeding easily or taking blood thinner medications. If you are allergic to chamomile, ragweed, or yarrow, you could be allergic to Feverfew. However, if local honey is used in conjunction that allergic reaction will no longer exist.
It’s your body, your allergies, and your headache. Put these two natural remedies to the test. You be the judge. You may be totally surprised by the results.
I am an avid lover of pets and my wife and I have had several pets throughout our years. We are especially fond of dogs, and we have a 12 year old Dalmatian (our 3rd) and a “mutt” that we rescued when someone threw him away to die in a vacant field.
He found us, nearly starved to death, and weighed about 2 pounds.
After severe bouts of mange and severe dehydration, and over 1,000.00 in veterinarian bills, we saved the little guys life, and he is one of the best, if not the best, dogs we have ever had and today is a muscular, fit, and firm 70 pound best friend.
After finishing my MBA, which at middle age was not easy, I decided to keep the research work ethics that I acquired, and devote about two hours each night in understanding the health benefits of supplementation for both humans and pets and how they might strengthen our, as well as our pets, immune system in a pre-emptive approach to health rather than a reactionary approach.
Both of my daughters are avid cat lovers, and asked me to help them with health concerns and challenges with their cats.
I am not a veterinarian nor claim to be, just a lover of pets that loves to research and pass on some knowledge that might be helpful, or at least stimulating to the thought process.
Several of the articles that I have written can be found on my website;
Tags: alcohol, allergies, family