SPRING CLEAN THE BODY – help clear your Hayfever

By: Yvonne Stone, Reiki Master and Homeopath at Acorn to Oak Health
www.acorn2oakhealth.co.uk

Spring is the time to clear out in preparation for the spring and summer, not just at home. It can also be a time to consider taking your body and health in hand. Hayfever is the body saying that the pollens are just one toxic substance too many and that it cannot cope.

Although you will be trying to remove the pollens from your eyes and nose, by sneezing and having watery eyes, the majority of clearing in your body is done by the biggest organ – the liver.  You know when you have asked your liver to do too much, if you feel “liverish” or worse “hung over” even though you haven’t been drinking alcohol.  If you are asking too much of your liver you wake each morning feeling “muggy” and unrefreshed, or your eyes and skin will be itchy, with, or even without, a rash or eruption.

In all plans to improve your health it is more effective and less strain on your body if you plan a steady increase in new activities, rather than making a sudden major change. With hayfever, you will see the long-term results when you treat yourself outside the hayfever season, although these suggestions will help while you are suffering.

Drink more water

Firstly, increase the amount of water that you drink.  95% of the body is made up of fluid. Water supports all the body’s metabolic processes; it even contains oxygen.  Start by drinking filtered water, which reduces the toxic load on the liver. Have a glass of water near you while working and near when you are relaxing in the evening. Rather than drinking water with a meal, drink a glass of water before you eat. This has a few benefits; sometimes when you feel hungry, you are actually thirsty, so a glass of water may help you cut down snacks. You will feel fuller, so it is easier to notice when you have had enough to eat, also you don’t dilute the gastric enzymes in your stomach, so you will digest your food more effectively.  Find a water that tastes good and get used to drinking it still, rather than carbonated.  The carbonation process makes the water more acid and you need it to be neutral.

As you drink more water you will need to go to the loo more frequently, but this stops as your body becomes more hydrated. You can cut down the effect by adding a slice of lemon or cucumber to the water, you will find you can drink more without needing frequent trips to the loo. As you drink more, you will start to notice you feel thirstier.  The thirst reflex is very easy to suppress and most people are chronically dehydrated.

It is important to drink water when you exercise.  Commercial Sports drinks contain sugar and minerals in high concentration.  Although they replace some of the salts lost in sweat, if you don’t also drink water you will become more dehydrated because the body has to give up water to dilute the minerals to the level they can be utilised by the body. If your exercise session lasts less than an hour, just drink water and eat when you finish.

Reduce the workload for the liver

Once you are drinking more water, the next step is to reduce the things processed by the liver.  These are mainly coffee, fats, alcohol and drugs.  Remember to start in small incremental steps.

Reduce alcohol intake by cutting down the quantity and then start to have alcohol-free days.  Aim to reduce intake to 7 units a week for women and 14 units for men.

Reduce your intake of coffee by replacing drinks with water or fruit teas.  Dandelion coffee reduces caffeine as well as being a tonic for the liver.  Part of cutting down is finding an acceptable alternative. You can also add unsweetened cranberry juice to water, which will support the liver’s detoxing processes.

It is easy to get in the habit of taking medicines from the pharmacy.  Paracetamol for a headache or hangover, antacid lozenges for indigestion, Cold Cures and cough mixtures, which all have to be processed by the liver.  It is not healthy to have to rely on drugs to get through normal life activities.  Consider using complementary therapies such as Homeopathy, Reflexology, Aromatherapy and Reiki. These therapies all address the underlying reasons for need the drugs, rather than just masking the symptoms.

Therapists in the Sutton Complementary Health Network www.schn.org.uk are all experienced and ready to help. Give someone a call and talk through your symptoms