TV presenter Dr Hilary Jones has warned people to be careful about the treatments they use to treat hay fever. Dr Hilary, who is well known for his TV appearances, told Lorraine Kelly on ITV that the UK was in the grip of a "pollen bomb" and that some clinics were advertising illegally for a remedy.
He said: "It's pollen bomb season, we've been warned by the Met office that with the warm weather we're facing a pollen bomb. So lots of pollen in the atmosphere. All those people with hay fever and asthma therefore will be on alert for their symptoms getting a lot worse, or starting for the first time this year.
Read more: The hay fever remedies that actually work according to science
"Worryingly, there will be warnings issued because some private clinics are advertising Kenalog injections, or advertising them on Instagram at £45 to £75 a shot. Kenalog injections are steroid injections. Now this is an illegal promotion, because it's a prescription-only drug which is illegal to do in this country. You can do it in the States but if it's a prescription drug, you shouldn't be just telling the world about it, 'come and get this and you can buy it.'" Lorraine then added: "And charging people 50 quid!"
Though anyone who really suffers with hay fever will understand how it can get to a point where you will do anything to stop the symptoms, Dr Hilary has warned about the possible side effects of resorting to steroid injections. "It has side effects," he said. "It's important that people realise that whilst if you've got severe hay fever when nothing else that you've been trying works, sometimes a steroid injection can be a value.
"But people have to be warned that it can cause menstrual irregularities. It can cause stomach pain, it can cause bone pain. So it has to come with those kinds of cautionary warnings. So just be aware that private clinics who are advertising these things are doing something illegal and that will tell you something about the clinic."
There are a lot of treatments for hay fever that some people absolutely swear by, including that a teaspoon of local honey each day desensitises you to pollen and helps alleviate hay fever symptoms. Unfortunately for hay fever suffers (and local honey producers), there is no scientific evidence to support this. Bees don’t actually pollinate grass and trees, and the pollen in honey is the heavy, flower-based pollen that doesn’t cause hay fever.
However, there are some treatments that have been shown to be effective. WalesOnline has taken the latest advice from both the health service and allergy support charities to help you keep yourself itch and snot free this summer.
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