This Morning: Liz Earle gives hay fever remedy recommendations

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While flowers start blooming, people may struggle with a stubborn itch and a runny nose. In fact, Britain alone sees one in five people suffering from the symptoms of hay fever, according to Asthma UK. As the shelves in pharmacies and drug stores get stocked up with hay fever products, LloydsPharmacy pharmacist, Anshu Kaura, shares the home remedies that could provide relief.

Also called allergic rhinitis, hay fever leaves sufferers with cold-like signs and symptoms, ranging from itchy eyes to sneezing.

Hay fever is an allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens, including pollen, dust mites and pets, the Mayo Clinic explains.

As the pandemic saw people shelter indoors during the past two springs, hay fever “could prove more difficult than normal”, according to the pharmacist.

The Covid isolation might have left many with a decreased tolerance to seasonal allergies due to lower exposure to pollen.

This warning is even backed by a study from Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogotá, Columbia.

Their research found that nearly 40 percent of adults experienced an increased exposure to indoor allergens as a result of being shut indoors for long periods of time.

Furthermore, pharmacist Kaura warns that even those “who haven’t suffered previously” are expected to be susceptible to the “pesky” springtime allergens.

Alongside pollen, dust mites and pet allergies can hit especially hard and be “difficult to manage”.

Pharmacist Kaura said: “Allergies can block your sinuses, cause irritable eyes and constant sneezing.

“The main allergies to be aware of this upcoming season are hay fever, pet and dust mite allergies.

“While there isn’t a complete cure for these allergies, there are several ways to lessen symptoms.

“These include antihistamine products, nasal sprays, eye drops, which can all be bought from a pharmacist.”

However, the usual over-the-counter solutions aren’t the only thing that could ease your symptoms.

What home remedies can relieve hay fever symptoms?

The pharmacist continued: “Other remedies include cleaning your clothes and home regularly to break up any build-up of pollen or dust, wearing sunglasses to shield eyes from pollen and staying indoors whenever possible.”

The full list of home remedies includes:

• Wearing sunglasses that wrap around your face to shield your eyes from pollen
• Showering and changing clothes after you have been outside, to clean yourself of any pollen
• Rubbing Vaseline under your nose to trap any pollen before it reaches the sensitive areas inside of the nose.

What are the symptoms of hay fever?

The main symptoms to help you spot the allergic reaction are:

• Watery eyes
• Blocked or runny nose
• Itchiness around the eyes and throat
• Sneezing and a loss of smell.

Kaura advised to “visit your local pharmacist” if symptoms keep persisting after you tried home remedies.

If the easy tricks don’t help your symptoms, there’s plenty of medicines you can try, varying from tablets to syrups.

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