HAYFEVER WOES DURING PERIMENOPAUSE? HERE'S WHAT TO DO

Found yourself sniffling and sneezing your way through perimenopause? You’re not alone. If you’ve noticed an increase in the pollen-induced hell that is hayfever since you hit your 40s, you don’t have to suffer in silence.

But before you declare war on flowers, freshly mowed grass or just the outdoors in general, take a deep breath. You don’t have to pop anti-histamines like breath mints or barricade yourself indoors to find relief. Let’s take a dive into why hayfever hits hardest during perimenopause and what you can do about it.

WHY IS HAYFEVER WORSE DURING PERIMENOPAUSE?

There are a few key patterns I see in clients when it comes to hayfever. In some cases, they develop it for the first time ever, and in others, the symptoms are more noticeable and severe.

THE OESTROGEN-HISTAMINE LINK

As with almost every symptom that pops up during perimenopause, hayfever does have a direct relationship to the hormonal shifts of perimenopause. And as always, oestrogen is to blame.

When your oestrogen is constantly bouncing up and down, it triggers the release of histamine. Then in a vicious cycle, high histamine levels can spike oestrogen levels. So unless you step in to tackle one, the other, or both… your symptoms will escalate.

To learn more about histamine, give this blog a squiz.

LIVER DETOX OVERLOAD

Another factor that ties into this oestrogen overflow is your liver function. Now yes, your liver does a great job of detoxifying excess hormones… that is, if it’s working optimally!

But unfortunately, our modern lifestyles put a heavy burden onto the liver. So if your liver is already juggling medications, environmental pollutants, stress, and low nutrient levels, oestrogen can get pushed back in the queue. And that means oestrogen hangs out in your system far longer than it should.

GUT AS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE

Another place where detoxification can go awry is in the gut. Your liver might be doing the work of detoxing all of those burdens ok. But if your gut isn’t doing its job and taking the waste out of your system? It can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

That means that you could end up using twice as much energy, nutrients and space in the liver-bucket to clear out anything that needs to be detoxified.

And just in case you wondered – this is why I bang on so much about why you need to be pooing daily!

HOW TO TACKLE YOUR HAYFEVER NATURALLY

Want to ditch the sniffles and smell the roses again? Let’s look at my top areas to cover:

DON’T RELY ON ANTI-HISTAMINES ALONE!

You need to know that anti-histamines are only a bandaid measure. And like any bandaid, they are only covering up the problem underneath until you rip it off!

As they are a form of medication, they will also add to the liver’s burden. So if you do need to use them for relief? Do so sparingly, and only until you tackle the underlying drivers.

BOOST UP YOUR VITAMIN C & QUERCETIN INTAKE

These two nutrients will help your body to clear excess histamine that is contributing to sniffles and sneezes. Go for:

• Fresh fruit
• Red, green and purple veg
• Cruciferous veg like cabbage, kale and cauliflower

My favourite source of quercetin? It’s gotta be apple – there’s a reason why all of my clients are prescribed an apple a day!

POOP DAILY!

Yes, that is a prescription. But I also know that it’s easier said than done, especially if your gut tends towards the slower side.

If that’s the case for you, it’s time to give your gut some serious TLC. But don’t think taking a daily probiotic will cut it – in fact, this can make things worse as some of them will trigger more histamine release! Instead, go back to the basics – plenty of fibre-rich foods and colourful fruit and veg, ditch the junk food with a million ingredients, prioritise good sleep and manage your stress.

And if you’re not sure why your gut health & poops have shifted lately? I cover it in detail here.

DRINK YOUR WATER

I will repeat this until I’m blue in the face, because hydration improves every single system & process in the body! And there’s a good chance you underestimate how much you should drink.

In case you haven’t heard my formula before? The goal is 35ml/kg of body weight per day. If you’re 60k, that’s 2.1L per day. If you’re 80kg, it’s 2.8kg.

Water is critical for both liver and gut function in particular. So it will support detoxification of oestrogen, histamine, and anything else that might be triggering your hayfever symptoms.

ONE LAST TIP? PERSONALISE YOUR NUTRITION!

This has made the biggest difference for my clients. By reducing your inflammation, optimising your liver health and avoiding triggering foods, you can feel amazing again. That’s why I love the Chaos To Calm approach!

Want to swap sneezing for energy and sniffles for a revved metabolism? Book in for a free discovery call today. Together, we can explore how I can help you to support a healthy hormone balance and smooth the transition through perimenopause.