Hayfever & Allergies Options

[kh123]

I am teaching a boy aged 12 who suffers from dust allergies and hayfever. He suffers from a blocked nose and lots of mucus as a general rule but he has been particularly bad the past two weeks.
He is doing his grade 4 in a couple of weeks but is now struggling with hitting higher notes and also phrasing.
He has been on prescriptive drugs and nasal spray from the doctor for a while which have helped him a bit.
Has anyone else experienced problems and have some other remedies for it or suggestions, will the examiner take it into account if we produce a doctors note?

I'm considering taking him out of the exam and waiting till next term when hopefully he may be a bit better but he's not so keen.
He is a fantastic singer and performer and I just want him to be at his best.
Many thanks

[PianissiMole]

Piriton is very effective for me. I used to suffer very badly when younger. Piriton was quite fast acting and gave 100% relief for 6 hours or more. I think it has fallen from favour a little as it is said to make you drowsy; can't say I noticed that particularly though.

Mole

[lucky045]

I have awful hayfever - or what I would consider to be awful hayfever, though I haven't been to the doctors, and rely on over the counter medication. Should I go to the doctor, or keep going with my boots product test (haven't found an effective one yet)?
Is piriton something you can just buy?
I guess I have to bear in mind that for me, not singing well isn't a job-issue. It's just unpleasant. I don't lose any money, and it doesn't affect my livelihood, I just hate it - so maybe I shouldn't bother with going to a doctor.

Sorry to the OP that I've sort of hijacked a bit and can't help!

[all ears]

His voice wouldn't be breaking as well? That could be compounding matters.

With both my boys, there was a period from around 12 to 12 y 6 m where their voices simply sounded stuffy, as if they had a permanent cold, and then once their voices were noticeably lower, it cleared up.

As for the allergies, it's a problem here too, and the main reason why advice to take singing lessons wasn't followed up. In addition to steam, which is very helpful, it can be well worth considering bedding - a mite-proof undersheet will also be dustproof, and replacing pillows regularly (and/or using a mite-proof pillow cover under the regular pillow cover) usually helps - pillow even more than mattress, in my experience. Dusty curtains don't help either.

[kh123]

His voice wouldn't be breaking as well? That could be compounding matters.

His voice is in the process of changing as well but he produces alot of mucus, (sorry, not very pleasant)during his lessons so the main problem at the moment is allergies.
I will talk to his parents again about what medication he is taking and anti allergy bedding. Very difficult though as I don't want to sound like they are not taking control of it properly.
Thanks to all for their suggestions

[Mad Tom]

This may be worth a try: Eliminate milk and milk products from the diet.

I used to suffer badly from hay-fever symptoms. The sneezing and irritated eyes were triggered by various pollens, but also (unfortunately) by many varieties of alcohol. It started in my early twenties and I suffered with it for 20 years. I had allergy tests, installed house-mite-proof mattresses and pillows, replaced carpets with wood and tile, tried every conceivable medication, and even took desperate measures like replacing amalgam fillings with white ones in case the mercury in the tiny amounts of mercury that escape from the amalgam were the cause. All without effect.

Eventually I realized (and I have no idea how my subconscious figured it out) that if I removed milk from my diet, and cut back drastically on milk products (cheese, yoghourt etc. - but without completely eliminating them), the problem was cured.

Like magic, after 3 weeks on a milk-free diet, I was symptom free. Not only that but many other aspects of my health improved (e.g. cuts and bruises healed faster).

Some experimentation showed that putting milk on my daily breakfast cornflakes brought the symptoms back after a few days. I also found that skimmed milk was worst, and cream was almost benign. Also that natural milk was worse than milk products. This suggests that the culprit is some component of natural milk proteins, rather than fats.

Milk intolerance is common in many races of humanity. It is least prevalent in white North-Europeans. We can speculate that the ability to tolerate milk it is an evolutionary adaptation to producing less of our own vitamin D through exposure to sunlight. All the same, many that can digest milk perfectly well as children lose the ability in adulthood.

If I was a real scientist I'd use this experience and investigation as the basis of a proper, controlled study, and end up with a Nobel prize ... but I'd rather play piano.

Anyway, I suggest that your student try a milk and milk-product free diet for a few weeks. There is little chance of it doing harm, and there is a possibility that it will work the same magic cure that it did for me. He only needs to make sure that long term he is getting Calcium and vitamins A and D elsewhere. Which must be possible, as native Americans and many Africans and Asians don't include milk in their diets.

And you soon get used to the flavour of soya-milk custard!

[CJB]

I find Piriton one of the more effective antihistamines for me - I can cope with the slight drowsiness ok as long as I avoid alcohol. Piriton + alcohol = exceptionally effective sleeping tablet!

There are other antihistamines available from Doctors that are prescription only that may be more effective for you. They can also prescribe in larger quantities than the packs in the chemist so you can get through the hayfever season without insolvancy (I usually need them from Feb to early Sept which is pricey if buying over the counter versions).

One thing that helps me is when my nose is clear enough to breath through I smear a tiny ammount of Vasaline just inside my nostrils. I was told this limited the amount of pollen that gets up my nose and to cause a reaction.

Obviously won't help when he's singing but may help reduce the exposure a little prior to singing.

[all ears]

Would just like to point out that my milk-intolerant Japanese DH is fine with yogurt (that is, live yogurt), and makes a point of eating yogurt every morning. Fresh milk is a different matter...I find my teen sons love milk, but their skin and sneezes both do better when they go away on school trips and have to give up the bottle for a few days.

[Alcie]

I'd definitely advocate steam as the best help with the fewest unwanted side effects. You can either use a bowl and a towel (children often need to use swimming goggles with this method to prevent stinging eyes) or a hand held face mask type steamer. I know a pupil picked up a new one on ebay a few months ago for about £3 + p&p but most chemists have them. No need to add any oils to the water; 15-20 minutes steam (in front of the telly if needed) every evening will work wonders. Cathedral choristers are often sent to the nurse for 'steaming' of tired/clogged voices and it's not drying like antihistamines or decongestants. Make sure this young man is keeping well hydrated all day too - plenty of plain water or weak squash. Good luck with the grade 4. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[calhex]

I've suffered from bad hayfever pretty much all my life. Piriton is now the only thing that works for me!

However, I've recently learnt that asthma can be aggravated by hayfever as that's what's happened to me. I may not have to take asthma medication outside of the hayfever season, I'm not sure yet as this is the first year I've had it, but it's worth getting it checked out, especially if your student is producing excessive mucus. It is one of the symptoms even if he's not necessarily finding himself out of breath.

[fsharpminor]

I am told that (by good authority) that on clinical evidence, cetirizine is the most effective for the over the counter medications for most people. My own use suggests this also, but we arent all alike. I get a year round slight allergy (itchiness and redness around top of socks , waist band, private areas, and tops of shoulders) caused by washing detergents, but of course it gets worse in the pollen season (for me end May to mid July) . We have tried all sorts of different detergents, and extra rinses, but the problem is still underlying.

[vectistim]

If I was a real scientist I'd use this experience and investigation as the basis of a proper, controlled study, and end up with a Nobel prize ... but I'd rather play piano.

A quick play with Professor Google, suggests you are probably too late for your Nobel Prize.
Does Low IgA in Human Milk Predispose the Infant to Development of Cow's Milk Allergy? October 2000 in a pediatric's journal.

[Susie]

Hayfever is particularly bad this year. The quantities of pollen out there are horrendous for hayfever sufferers. (Just as we're enjoying many more healthy looking flowers, conifer trees are chucking out heaps of wind-borne pollen because their flowers are healthier too.)

It may be the medication and it's worth doing an exhaustive test on different types. My daughter has asthma and hayfever. The asthma is all year round of course, and she was prescribed a single inhaler that is the same as 2 individual inhalers combined (or supposed to be). She is a singer. She started to produce huge quantities of mucus. We kept going for a while thinking that it was a cold, and cough, but eventually we went back to the doc and she was put on the 2 separate inhalers again and after a week or so, was back to normal. So medication can play a big part in these things.

I also endorse what Mad Tom says - daughter has soya milk. She used to complain that milk on her breakfast cereal made her feel sick, but she's ok with soya. I also find that bio yogurt and fruit is better, from a singing point of view, than milk on breakfast cereal and I'm by no means allergic to cows' milk at all.

[Misti]

Cutting out all dairy products is frequently recommended for those producing excess mucus.

Another option is to take decongestant for the week of the exam. This idea should be treated with caution (perhaps ask the family to discuss the issue with their doctor?) as it can cause problems (I get nose bleeds if I use it for too long, for example). On the other hand, I was told by my doctor that I shouldn't worry about using it regularly... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) I take something like Sudafed or Sinutab to control my asthma (get too bunged, symptoms get worse etc).

Trouble with this is that it isn't a long term solution, but if anyone does find one (I already don't eat dairy) I'll be the first in line!

I also take Piriton (it is the quickest acting antihystamine I've found) but you have to be so careful about alcohol (slept for 18 hours the last time I overindulged while taking them :S). They do also make me generally drowsy, so I try not to use them unless I have to (exposure to feathers, cats (I swell up) or bad pollen days).

[fsharpminor]

Piriton was always been known as a 'drowsy' one, but they may have changed active ingredient now. Cetirizine (Zirtek) , and cheaper generic versions is the best and Loratidine (Clarityn) is also I believe non - drowsy causing.
Both these are cheaper if you buy eg Tesco or other generic versions of cetrizine or loratidine. I have tried several over the years and still find cetirizine best. And this also concurs with an acquaintence who works in clinical trials area.