Q:
Are there any natural hay fever treatments?
My son has been taking antihistamines for his hay fever, but they’ve been making him dizzy. Is there anything else he can take to relieve his symptoms?
A: The symptoms of hay fever-a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, etc.-are typically treated with antihistamines, which must be taken all day long to offer adequate relief.
Unfortunately, antihistamines have some unpleasant side effects including dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, and dry mouth. They can also cause extreme drowsiness, which makes performing routine daily tasks difficult and driving nearly impossible-not to mention dangerous.
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, the herb butterbur is an effective treatment for hay fever. Dr. Andreas Schapowal, an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist in Switzerland, tested 125 patients, whom he divided into two groups. Those in the first group were given one butterbur tablet four times daily. Those in the other group were given one tablet of the antihistamine drug cetirizine per day.
After two weeks, researchers found that butterbur was as effective as antihistamines but did not make patients drowsy.
Butterbur is the main ingredient in the product Petadolex, which has been marketed exclusively for migraine relief. You can get Petadolex from a number of sources online.
