Why I haven't taken a hay fever tablet in years

I used to suffer terribly with hay fever, but no longer do. While it is true I might have just grown out of it, it could also be that I have now a better working immune system.

Picture this. A summer morning. Birds singing. You step outside and within minutes your eyes are streaming, your nose is blocked, you're sneezing 12 times in a row. You blame the pollen.

But here's the thing. Pollen has been around for millions of years. Hayfever as a widespread condition has only really exploded in the last 70. Something changed. And it wasn't the trees.

Hayfever is your immune system overreacting. Histamine pouring out of cells that should be calm. The question is, why so much histamine, and why so often?

Here's what might work without a daily antihistamine:

1. Lower your overall inflammation. Cut seed oils, cut sugar, cut ultra-processed food. The less inflamed your body, the less twitchy your histamine response.

2. Eat quercetin-rich foods. Onions, capers, apples, red grapes, green tea. Quercetin is a natural mast cell stabiliser. Eat them daily through pollen season.

3. Nettle tea. An old country remedy that works. Anti-inflammatory and naturally antihistaminic.

4. Vitamin C. 1 to 2 grams daily through the worst weeks. It's a natural antihistamine.

5. Wash your face and hair when you come indoors. Pollen sticks. Don't take it to bed.

6. Get your gut healthy. 70% of your immune system lives in your gut. A healthy microbiome calms histamine output.

7. Sleep. Poor sleep magnifies allergic response. Fix the sleep, calm the symptoms.