Hay fever is a seasonal disease occurring most commonly from the beginning of May to the end of September. The main symptoms include, sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches, sore throat, coughing, and feelings of thirst, feverishness, restlessness and general lethargy.

What causes Hay Fever?
People who have a hot body constitution easily suffer from hay fever when the warm and hot summer weather arrives. The external heat combines with the internal heat inside the body to create hay fever symptoms.

The cause of a hot body constitutions are as follows;
1 Modern Lifestyles
The British diet is often high in fat and also foods with a 'hot'energy’. We eat large quantities of food such as curry, chocolate, dairy products and chillies. Also, people may drink and smoke a lot. These things all result in high blood heat.
For people who work hard, there may be a lot of stress involved. This also causes excess heat in the body. Also, a high standard of living can also paradoxically be a problem by making people restless and feverish in their pursuit of purchases and experiences.

2 The Modern Environment
Most homes and places of work are warmed by central heating and people tend not to get much fresh air.
The British weather is warm, but people do not usually perspire, which prevents the expulsion of internal heat. In hotter countries, people sweat easily to relieve internal heat.
Another explanation of why Britain has high rates of hay fever is that British people tend to keep their doors and windows closed, even in summer, which deprives them of fresh air. In contrast, in some countries like China, doors and windows are often kept open even in cold weather. It is no coincidence that hay fever is relatively rare in China.

Treatment of Hay Fever
Cooling herbs are prescribed. These should be effective in 1-2 weeks. Mild cases can be treated with herbal tablets.

Preventative Steps
1 It is wise to drink some Chinese herbs to cool the body constitution at the end of April or beginning of May.
2 Acupuncture treatment once a week or fortnight can balance the body energy and temperature to avoid suffering from hay fever.
3 Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit in spring and summer. It is best to avoid hot and spicy food such as chilli and curry, chocolate, cheese, milk, lamb as well as alcohol and smoking.
4 Take lots of fresh air and exercise to ward off the negative effects of the warm weather.