Hay fever is a common seasonal allergy during this time of year when trees are pollinating, mainly in Spring and Summer.

The pollen grains released by plants become airborne and settle in your nose, causing itchy, watery eyes, and runny noses. In allergy-prone people, a well-meaning immune system produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) to fight pollen invaders. These antibodies stimulate an inflammatory response which causes histamine to be produced and released into the bloodstream which causing the symptoms of itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, etc in response to the allergen, which the body considers an invader.

Note: Children under five aren't usually allergic to pollen.

Symptoms:

As well as sneezing, runny and blocked nose and irritated eyes, untreated hay fever can result in poor quality sleep, fatigue and daytime sleepiness.
Severe hay fever can also:

• Make asthma more difficult to control

• Make people more prone to sinus infections

• Impair learning and performance in children

• Result in bad breath and a sore throat

• Make people tired and run down

• Cause nausea

• Worsen snoring and the tendency to have sleep apnea in adults

• Result in more frequent eye infections because people rub itchy eyes

What can you do?

The obvious, of course, is to avoid allergens.
Some things you may not have considered are your house plants, pets, smoke, cleaning supplies and air fresheners.

If you have blooming house plants, this could be causing you to have hay fever reactions. It is best to avoid blooming house plants if you suffer from hay fever.

Your pets could be causing you a problem. If finding a new home for your pet is out of the question, there are some things you can do to help your situation. Dust and vacuum everyday. Make sure you have a vacuum cleaner that has an allergen filter on it. Use a face mask while you dust. If you pet requires brushing, either find someone else to do it or at least brush you pet outside. Many flea soaps and powders contain pyrethrums. These are excellent for killing pests but horrible for hay fever sufferers. Pyrethrums are from chrysanthemums and can cause sever problems for hay fever and asthma  sufferers.

If you smoke, you should try to stop. If you don't want to stop smoking try cutting back. Read this article:
Cut your smoking in half or more, Instantly! If you are going to smoke, try to make it an outside activity. If you have other household members who smoke, ask them to do it outside as well. Also consider a smokeless ashtray and a good air filter system.

When you buy your cleaning supplies, look for unscented. It is the scent in these products that cause the hay fever reaction.

As far as air fresheners go, it is best to avoid these all together. What good would an unscented air freshener do? Try a good air filter system instead. It will keep the odors out of the air without the perfume.

Use your air conditioner, in the house and in the car. This will keep pollen from entering your world.

Plan your outdoor activities in the middle of the day. There is a higher concentration of pollen in the early morning. As the air heats up it rises and takes the pollen with it. In the evening, when the air gets cool again, the pollen settles back down. So the best time to be outside is somewhere in between.

Diet and Hay Fever:

Diet has only a minor influence on symptoms in most people. The results from strict "elimination diets" are
usually disappointing and may affect nutrition. Despite common mythology, there is no good evidence that “milk makes mucus”, or that milk worsens either hay fever or asthma. Nasal symptoms may sometimes occur after eating hot or spicy food or alcohol. This is called "gustatory rhinitis". It appears to be a reflex phenomenon,
resulting from stimulation of nerve endings that trigger glands to secrete more mucus.

Natural Treatment of Hay Fever:

There are some homeopathic medicines that are said to be useful in treating hay fever. Contact a good homeopath or naturopathic doctor and ask them about #Arsenicum. [Ars], #Ambrosia artemisiaefolia. [Ambr], #Sabadilla. [Sabd], #Naphthalin. [Naph], and #Ranunculus bulbosus. [Ran-b]. We do not have a source for these at the time of this writing, however, we are looking. If you find a source for these products and/or if you try these products and they are helpful, please let us know.

Following are some homeopathic products we were able to find. You may be able to find these products at Walgreen's or CVS or you can buy them online using the links provided. Also try Wal-Mart.

Boiron Sabadil, Allergy Relief Quick Dissolving Tablets Homeopathic Medicine For temporary relief of one or more of these symptoms of hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: itchy nose, sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and watery eyes. Made according to the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States.

bioAllers Pollen Hayfever Allergy Relief, Liquid Gradual exposure to small doses of specific allergens builds resistance. The body's natural defenses adapt, no longer triggering allergic reactions.

Hyland's Seasonal Allergy Relief  Temporarily relives the runny eyes and nose symptoms of allergy from pollen, ragweed, grasses, mold and animal dander.