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Goodbye itchy eyes

This invisible, natural barrier can prevent hay fever by stopping pollen from entering your body
Katie Hill - Editor-in-Chief, My Green Pod
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This article first appeared in our spring ’19 issue of MyGreenPod Magazine, The Organic Revolution, distributed with the Guardian on 31 May 2019. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox

Many see hay fever as a trivial cause of irritation, but it’s a condition with no cure that, for millions of children around the UK, can cause school absence, sleepless nights, mood changes and impossible exam conditions.

Studies show that GCSE students with hay fever are 40% more likely to drop a grade between their mocks and final exams – and the figure rises to 70% if they are taking sedating antihistamines. A poll conducted by HayMax allergen barrier balms asking ‘Has your exam performance (or your child’s) ever been affected by hay fever?’ resulted in 44% replying ‘yes’.

Prevention beats cure

Everyone has a different tolerance level for pollen grains, and when it’s exceeded an allergic reaction occurs. This can result in sneezing, a blocked or runny nose, itchy, watery, streaming or swollen eyes and an itchy nose and throat. One solution is to pump your – or your child’s – body full of antihistamines or steroids; another option is to use an organic wonder balm that works on the premise that prevention is better than cure.

Trapping pollen before it gets into the body will keep the sufferer below their trigger level for longer – and HayMax organic allergen barrier balms do just that. They blend beeswax and seed oils, plus essential oils or aloe vera leaf juice extracts, to create an invisible shield; when rubbed round the rim of both nostrils and the bones of the eyes, the balms catch pollen and stop it from entering the body, helping to prevent the reaction from taking place.

‘IT WORKS!’

Max Wiseberg, MD and creator of HayMax, was a long-term hay fever sufferer who had tried most products with limited or no success. ‘A series of circumstances led me to the idea of putting something on my nose to create a barrier or a trap to stop pollen getting into my body’, he tells us. ‘I made it for myself but then I thought there must be others out there in the same boat.’

When other sufferers said ‘it works’, it gave Max the confidence to trial the product and start marketing it; in late 2004 HayMax was born. ‘It started with a simple trial and I was amazed when all the respondents who tried it in their season told me it worked’, Max remembers. ‘And they said it worked better than the pharmaceutical remedies they had been using. We exhibited at the Natural Trade Show in Brighton and won our first award – Best New (Non Food) Organic Product. I was amazed – my little idea had won an award.’

Despite rave reviews for his award-winning balm, Max was determined to get some ‘real evidence’ to underline the efficacy of his HayMax balms. He now has two successful studies from NPARU at Worcester University, the UK experts on airborne particles, and two surveys by leading allergy charity Allergy UK. In the latest, when asked if, overall, HayMax worked, 80% of respondents said ‘Yes’.

Click here to find out find out why HayMax organic allergen barrier balms are a My Green Pod Hero

RELIEVING HAY FEVER SYMPTOMS

Avoid:

Margarine, dairy, wheat

Eat:

Nuts, grapes, oranges, apples, fresh tomatoes, spices, garlic, horse-radish, green veg, whole grains, tofu, grapefruits, watermelon, yellow pepper, red onions, apples, pineapples, garlic and oats

Treatments:

If you want to stay drug-free, you can also try Qu-Chi acupressure bands, Bee Prepared immune boosters and nasal rinses like Sterimar or NeilMed. An eyebright product can help with sore eyes

HayMax has gone from strength to strength: it has won 40 awards and recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with appearances on ITV’s This Morning and Lorraine shows.

The power of organic

HayMax can be used by sufferers of pet and dust allergies as well as hay fever. The drug-free, organic and non-drowsy balms are suitable for children, pregnant and breastfeeding mums and those driving or operating machinery.
‘From a marketing point of view, being organic is far from essential in this market’, Max tells us. ‘However, a friend suggested going organic very early on. I thought it was a good thing; when you cook a dinner and use the best ingredients, you get the best results – likewise using the best organic ingredients in HayMax produces the best product.’

Very few medical products contain organic ingredients so Max is pioneering organic in the medical arena. For Max, supporting organic isn’t just about creating the most effective product, it’s also about taking care of the Earth and the animals. ‘If we all do more organic, the world will be better’, Max says. ‘Just as if we all eat less meat it will be better. We don’t all have to be extremists; every contribution helps, and lots of little contributions can add up to significant change.’

Click here for HayMax tips on beating hay fever and allergies.

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