Alternative Medicine
Every conventional hay fever treatment involves a drug of some kind, and every drug carries something with it - whether that is drowsiness, a limit on how long it can be used, or simply a reluctance to medicate daily for months on end.
That is a large part of why so many people look elsewhere, and why the alternatives are a more crowded field than they once were.
What People Try
- Herbal remedies:
Butterbur is the one most often mentioned in connection with hay fever, and there are various herbal preparations sold for allergies.
Herbal does not mean inactive: these products can interact with other medicines, and unprocessed butterbur in particular carries known risks.
Speak to a pharmacist before taking any of them.
- Homeopathy:
Widely available and long established, though it is worth knowing that the NHS no longer funds it, having concluded that the evidence does not support its use. - Reflexology:
Based on the idea that points on the feet correspond to other parts of the body, and used by some people for allergy symptoms. - Local honey, nasal balms and air filters:
The practical end of the market. Barrier balms and filters work mechanically, by keeping pollen out, rather than by any medicinal action. - Acupuncture and acupressure:
Both work with the same set of points on the body, one using needles and the other using pressure.
How The Hay-Band Compares
What separates the Hay-Band from most of the alternatives above is that there is nothing to take and nobody to see.
Herbal preparations still involve swallowing something, and homeopathy, reflexology and acupuncture all mean appointments, a practitioner and an ongoing cost. The Hay-Band is a physical object with a fixed price. You buy it once, put it on, and that’s it!