How to make the world a better place, your way

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Walk along the road, go to the park or visit the local woods, and we are pretty sure you will see litter on the street, mess in the gutter and writing on the walls.

A sign of the times – maybe?

Something you can change – definitely.

We have some ideas on how small actions taken by each of us, can make a big impact for all of us in the world we call home.

Plogging
Don’t know what plogging is, where have you been? Well, the Scandinavian’s have come into their own again, as they conied this phrase by combined picking up litter as you run. Doing this means that as well as getting fit and active, this helps you clean up where you live and as you only need your trainers, a bag for life and some gloves to get started, what’s stopping you?

Catch the rain
Water butts are great because the rain water you collect keeps your garden healthy during the dry summer months without draining other resources. If you don’t have the space for a water butt, reuse bath water or collect the water when you’re in the shower and not only will you have green grass but lower bills.

How about a town makeover
Whether it’s a collapsed fence, stagnant pond or graffiti-covered wall, if you offer some time and TLC you can make your corner of the world look better. If you want to give something a new lease of life, get permission from your local council first, then get family, friends and neighbours involved and bring people together, for the better.

Cut down your emissions
Reducing the amount you use your car can really help to cut your carbon footprint, and it isn’t that hard to do. Instead of drving the car to go to the local shops, walk instead, share your commute to work with people who live close by and why not holiday in the UK, rather than taking a plane somewhere else in the world?

Give back
Life is busy, but giving your time to someone in need can be rewarding for you and very much appreciated by them. Helping an elderly friend with their library books, tackling the weeds in your neighbour’s garden, or helping out at the food bank might only be an hour to you, but it could offer a life line to someone else. By doing a quick online search you will find something that will work for you, and no matter where you volunteer, you will make a difference to others.

Buy less
If you want to produce less rubbish, why not simply buy less stuff? When you do shop, go for packaging that can be recycled, freeze what you aren’t going to have time to eat and before you splash the cash, make sure you really need what you are about to purchase, there are only so many jumpers and pairs of jeans you can wear.

Donate
Old and unwanted clothes, furniture and food might not seem much to you, but you will find that homeless shelters and charity shops will be more than happy to take them from you and there will be someone out there will give them a much loved home.

Grow your own
Flowers, plants and trees look pretty but they also remove CO2 from the air and replace it with oxygen, which is what we need. Why not think about taking up gardening, be that at home or in a local space, community garden, old people’s home or school and before you know it, you’ll be creating a welcoming environment and giving back to the world at the same time.

Grow your own
If you’re fed up of having to buy your fruit and veg in plastic bags, why not grow your own? By doing this, you will cut your plastic use, your food will be fresh and organic and if you freeze what you grow, you will have fertiliser free produce on tap.

Team Pure Beauty

Hay fever – what you need to know

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Whilst many of us open our arms to the summer, for hay fever sufferer the warm, pollen filled days aren’t always smiled upon.

Itchy eyes, runny noses, coughs and sneezes are usually associated with winter colds and flu, but hay fever can bring summer misery and pain.

It is thought that around a quarter of the population suffers with hay fever. Men and women are equally affected, symptoms can start at any age, seriousness changes year to year and some people find it become less severe as they get older.

So, let’s start with the basics.

Basically, you will suffer with hay fever if you have an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen is a fine powder that is released by plants as part of their reproductive cycle. The proteins in pollen can cause the eyes, nose, throat and sinuses to become inflamed, irritated and swollen.

The pollen forecast is usually given with the weather in the summer and this is how things tend to be described:

• Low is less than 30 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air
• Moderate is 30 to 49 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air
• High is 50 to 149 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air
• Very high is 150 plus grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air

In general, symptoms often start once the pollen count hits 50.

The main types of pollen people are allergic to are:

• Tree pollen which is released during the spring
• Grass pollen which is released at the end of spring and in the start of summer
• Weed pollen, such as dock, mugwort and nettles, tends to be released late autumn, but far less people react to this

The most common symptoms of hay fever are:

• Blocked, watery, runny nose
• Coughing
• Itchy, running, red eyes
• Constant sneezing

Other symptoms people experience include:

• Disrupted sleep and tiredness
• Earache
• Headaches
• Reduced sense of smell
• Sinus pain
• Sore throat
• Worsening asthma symptoms

It is worth noting that if you suffer from, or there is a family history of allergies, particularly asthma or eczema, you may be more susceptible to hay fever.

The obvious way to control hay fever is to avoid exposure to pollen but this really isn’t viable unless you stay inside with all windows and doors closed. Despite all the advances in modern medicine, to date there is no cure for hay fever. The good news is that in the most, symptoms can be relieved.

Over-the-counter medication from your pharmacist can be used for hay fever. Antihistamines can help prevent an allergic reaction from happening in the first place. It is a good idea to take these before your nose and eyes start to run and a regular dose will keep the drug in your system to fight off the pesky pollen. Corticosteroids can also be taken and these help bring down inflammation and swelling.

Eye drops and nasal sprays can help a blocked nose and itchy eyes so take them with you wherever you go along with plenty of clean tissues.

If your symptoms get too much then it it’s worth speaking to your GP, as you may require prescription medication. Some people choose to try a treatment called ‘immunotherapy’ which involves pollen exposure over time to build up resistance. This is done via an injection or pill in severe cases but it can take months or years to work so you will need to use other option to start with at least.

As well as medication, there are some easy steps you can take to help ease the pain of hay fever.

• Try to stay inside as much as you can when there is a high pollen count
• Wear sunglasses outside to stop pollen getting in your eyes – wrap around models are preferable
• Take a shower and change your clothes when you have been outside to remove the pollen on your body and wash your sunglasses too
• Apply a little bit of Vaseline at the bottom of your nose as this can actually trap pollen grains
• Try and have a good diet and add extra vitamins and local honey because whilst they won’t stop the allergic reaction they will help keep your immune system strong

Good luck and it you have top tips for living with hay fever, let us know.