| Answer: | Even though allergic reactions to pollen are the cause of hay fever, other factors make one person more likely to sneeze than another. For example, after it was realised that hay fever cases have risen dramati- cally in cities, compared to rural areas, researchers discovered that pollutants such as exhaust fumes prime the immune system to react.
To combat the itching, sneezing and misery of hay fever, take a good all-round antioxidant supplement containing vitamin A, C, E, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc, plus the amino acids cysteine or glutathione, to increase your resistance. The amino acid methionine in combination with calcium is a very effective antihis- tamine. You need to supplement 500mg of methionine with 400mg of calcium, twice a day. Vitamin C, 1g a day, also helps to control excessive histamine levels, as does vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) at 500mg a day.
The three most common allergy-provoking sub- stances are pollen, wheat and milk. Intriguingly, all these ubstances are either agrass, or a product of grass. It may be that some hay fever sufferers become sensi-tised to proteins that are common to grains, grasses and possibly milk. Some people report remarkable relief by avoiding wheat and dairy products during hay fever season. |
