Salt pipe is a natural hay fever remedy 

The Good Life Letter

Friday 8 May 2011

• Salt pipe could end your hay fever misery
• Join the call for more responsible reporting

"World War Two Bomber Found On The Moon!"

Probably one of the best headlines from my youth, which came from a most unlikely source.

In the old days, back in the late 1980's, there was a paper called the Sunday Sport which carried a strange mix of sport and soft pornography.

Unfortunately, as time wore on, it did less of the former and much more of the latter - and now mercifully has gone into administration (in a final twist of irony it did so on April Fool's Day this year.)

The thing was those types of headlines were so obviously ludicrous and unbelievable. I mean how many people would see "Aliens Turned Our Son into a Fish Finger" and begin to quake at the prospect of their own offspring being similarly afflicted.

We all know that headlines sells papers, and that the more direct and punchy the headline writers art the better the effect, however, I read something in a national daily last week that could have come straight from the front page of the long lost Sunday Sport.

I'm not going to name and shame the publication in question, but it is one of the big serious tabloid papers.
'Drivers Warned as Pollen Cloud Menace Heads for UK' shouted the headline, and as I had just put pen to paper on last weeks letter about my beloved Salt Pipe and how invaluable I found it in these times of high pollen, I sat back to read the article.

I say article, but it was more a comic farce than anything which was based in fact.

The assertion made was that the UK was in the direct line of highly toxic birch pollen heading our way from Eastern Europe. Where else!

Now I'm sure the impact of a long dry spell, high winds and pollen releases being concentrated in a shorter period than normal could crank up the amount of irritants in the atmosphere. But a caustic invisible cloud of paint eating spores seems to be taking it just a bit too far.

Unless the paper in question has employed the 'journalists' from the demised Sport I guess the news editor must have put some stock in the story. I just think he/she needed to add in a line about Lord Lucan and Shergar being found hiding in the cloud to complete the effect!

Sensationalism has no part to play when it comes to reporting on matters of health. Such actions can only lead to panic at best, and at worst make people ignore the story completely.

I am more than willing to accept that the prevailing winds increase the risk of high pollen levels from continental Europe arriving on our shores. If you think about it there is no reason why not.

I'm also prepared to accept that pollen levels released by birch trees which are present in high numbers in Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe are significantly greater than in recent years.

But why report the health risk in such an appalling way?

Irresponsible reporters should try harder

As I said in my letter last week, there are a number of factors which hay fever and asthma sufferers need to bear in mind this spring, plus a few more to think about:

- After a cold winter the latest heat wave has meant that all of the grasses, trees and agricultural crops, especially oilseed rape, has started to flower at the same time. This means pollen loads are significantly higher than we normally experience at this time of year.

- Allergy to tree pollen is one of the most common, and here in Britain birch trees affect about 25% of sufferers of hay fever.

- Reports from Germany say that the levels of birch pollen is so high that it is affecting air quality levels, leading to the German Meteorology Institute to comment that the lack of rain hasn't washed the pollen from the air as it normally would.  

- Reuters report that pollen forecasts are often seriously misleading, and could mean hay fever sufferers are taking medication unnecessarily. They advise sufferers to consult recognised national agencies rather than rely on commercially available data.

Adding to the misery of asthma and hay fever sufferers by shameful scare stories is not something anyone should be proud of... especially a national daily paper.

I really hope that someone at such a popular paper reads the article back and realises just how poor the standard of journalism was.

Natural ways to limit the misery of hay fever with the Salt Pipe

There are natural ways to restrict the impact of hay fever at this time of year which include:

* Change your laundry habits: Even though we are enjoying some of the best drying days, as my Mum called them, don't be tempted to hang clothes on the clothesline outdoors. The damp linen traps pollen grains, spores and moulds in the threads, that the next time you put them on your eyes and nose start to stream.

* Tea: Many of the older folk of my acquaintance swear by nettle leaf tea in the morning and evenings as a way to counteract the effects of hay fever. They even collect fresh leaves and freeze them rather than air drying them as they say it works better. Get out in the garden and grab a few fresh new leaves and try it. If nettle tea doesn't grab you, why not use cool tea bags over the eyes for 10 minutes - they really help stop the itching and redness.

* Raw local Honey: Honey is liquid gold when it comes to fighting the itchy eyes, runny nose and sore throats associated with an attack of hay fever. Track down the closest apiary to your home and ask them for the really raw stuff.  Ideally you should have a teaspoonful every day for a few weeks leading up to hayfever season.  If you can't find someone close by, then you can't do better than Raw Manuka Honey.

* Drown your sorrows: well, not literally.  But if things get really bad, head indoors, fill a big bowl with cool water and dip your face in it.  Keep your eyes closed and swish your head about until you feel better.

* Curry Spices: Capsaicin from chillies is often given under medical supervision as a spray to combat hay fever symptoms so why not get it in it's natural form? A good hot curry or chilli will do you no harm at all. In addition onions contain high levels of a compound called quercetin which can help fight off a hay fever attack. Read more about it in my book the Spice Healer 

Please -  newspaper editors of the world -  let headlines like "Woman Gives Birth to 8lb Duck" rest in peace with the remains of the Sunday Sport. We don't need trash stories about things that affect our health.
 asked you to list the most dangerous illnesses (and I mean REALLY  dangerous illnesses... ones that kill), what would you include?

Heart Disease? Probably.

Cancer? Definitely.

Maybe something a bit more exotic like malaria as well.

But would you put asthma on your list?

Hmmmm... probably not. It's one of those things that seems easily  controlled. I mean, A LOT of people have asthma and cope just fine.

But if I cast my mind back over the years (and before you say it, yes -  it's a lot of years), and think of the friends and family I've known that  have died well before their time, I can (thankfully) only recall a  handful of people.

And two of them have died from asthma. One in his twenties, and one  in his thirties. Both knew they had the illness, so it didn't sneak up on  them and catch them unawares, and both used inhalers regularly.

Yet in spite of this, both suffered fatal attacks.

And the worrying thing is, this illness is GROWING fast. The numbers  have soared dramatically over the past two decades, with an  estimated 5.4million people in this country suffering from asthma.

And the REALLY worrying thing about this statistic is that asthma can  strike at any time in your life. I have to admit - I used to think that  asthma was a condition that you developed in childhood and carried  with you for the rest of your life.

I assumed that once you were out of puberty, you were free of the  threat. But not so...

Getting asthma as an adult is imaginatively known as adult-onset  asthma, and there are a number of triggers that can cause it to strike  you...

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The dangers lurking outside of your body which you can resolve with a Salt Pipe
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Of course, there are inherent medical conditions that can make you  more susceptible to the onset of asthma...

If there is any history of asthma, eczema or allergies in your family,  you're more likely to get it.

So too if you're pregnant, obese or if you've suffered a viral infection.

But there are influences outside of your body that can also cause you  to fall victim to asthma.

- The Modern life... changes in housing and diet together with a  more hygienic environment may have contributed to the rise  in asthma over the last few decades.

- Urban living... environmental pollution can make asthma  symptoms worse and may play a part in causing some asthma.   Think about it... I know my chest feels tighter and my breath  shorter if I'm out in a very polluted area. I once made the  mistake of leaning out of a car window in L.A. when I was on  holiday with friends years back. I couldn't breathe properly  for days!

- Irritants such as dust, feather beds, or perfume can trigger  asthma. Also substances found in the workplace (industrial  cleaners etc) can cause the onset of asthma.

Now, if you already suffer from asthma, I'm sure you're already on top  of your condition and are taking the right medication for you.  And of  course, if you suspect you might be suffering, the first thing you need  to do is consult your doctor and get professional help.

But here are a few natural remedies I've come across in my time that  seem to ease the condition (and could help prevent it flaring up the  first place)...

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Ditch the carpet, grab a Salt Pipe!
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- If you ever want to change the flooring in your house,  consider avoiding carpet altogether. The microbes and mites  that hide in carpets are the single biggest trigger of adult- onset asthma, so go for wood or laminate flooring. Or lino  (they do some really good ones these days).

- Get Omega 3s into your diet. Omega 3 oils help prevent  inflammation in the chest and windpipe, helping you breath  more easily. Flaxseed oil is an excellent source, together with  salmon, walnuts and cauliflower.

- Your worst nightmare... aside from liver, what was the worst  thing you had to eat as a kid that was good for you? Yes -  cabbage. Even writing the word brings me out in a sweat (that  and England 23, Wales 0). But cabbage juice is an excellent  weapon against asthma. Just put on your mum's voice telling  you 'it's good for you', get some down you, then go off and  sulk in your bedroom for an hour.

- Lemon tea... lemon juice is an excellent decongestant. It helps  to break up phlegm and loosens the chest and throat so that  breathing becomes easier. I always start the day with a cup of  hot water and the juice of about half a lemon. It's good for  too many reasons to list here unless you're at a loose end till  2015. Just get the lemons in, and start your day with fresh  lemon tea. You'll swear by it in no time.

Talking of which...

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How to get this 'fresh medicine' whenever you want...
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What I'm about to recommend might sound stupid...

Or you might be a bit like me and think 'I can't be bothered to do  that'...

But I swear this is the BEST thing you can do this summer. In fact if  you give this a go I reckon you'll be writing in to thank me for nagging  you to do it...

So please, at the very least, look at the attached information and  THINK about it.

Okay?

So what am I talking about?

Well, I want you to grow your own lemons on your very own lemon  tree.

Yes, I know I mentioned this just last week - but I don't want you  missing your special 20% discount on this.  And here's the  IMPORTANT thing...

You think those lemons you get in the supermarket are proper  lemons? Well I promise you, you won't believe the difference  between those lemons and the ones that are on offer here.

The moment you try it you'll know what I mean

I won't bore you with the list of health problems lemons can fight. It'd  be quicker to list the ones they CAN'T fight.

But, it's worth mentioning again that lemon juice is a powerful tonic  against asthma attacks - this is true for young AND old.   

When taken, the juice acts as an antiseptic, killing germs that hide in  mucus, breaking up blockages in bronchial tubes and cleaning the  blood, which helps strengthen lung tissue.

So if you haven't got one of these beauties in your house yet, it's  worth looking at this right now...

Really. Give it a go. Unless you hate plants I can't see why you  wouldn't want one of these in your home or garden.

Or you could get one for a friend (they make a great quirky gift) and  get your lemons from them!

Really. The season is perfect for these, so order one and plant one.  You won't regret it.

That's all for today. Have a great weekend, and I'll be back again on  Sunday with more news, views and tips to make your life healthier  and happier.