A surprisingly effective way to deal with
allergic rhintitis (
hayfever) - just wash those
pollens and other
allergens away!
After my most recent bout with hayfever, my allergist gave me a new little gadget in addition to the numerous drugs that I take to stay functional. It looks a little like something you might pick up in the adult toy department (mine is pink), but once you see past that it is a useful little thing.
The gadget is a tube about 8 cm long, fitted with a nozzle that fits in a nostril (see below). The thing is filled with a salt solution while held horizontally, you place your thumb over the open hole, fit the nozzle to a nostril while leaning forward, let the thumb let go and slowly return towards an upright position.
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At the correct angle the salt solution starts flowing and you can feel how a long sequence of channels and cavities get flushed out until the solution comes out the other nostril. Repeat for the other nostril.
It sounds a little gross and some people apparently cannot stomach even the thought of doing this themselves, but it is the single most helpful thing I do for my condition. Plus, salt is cheap!
If you are going to try this you should try to find the little gadget described above, but maybe you can improvise. You don't need to buy expensive solution, one teaspoon of salt in a half liter water will make an appropriate strength solution.