Holistic Notion November newsletter

Spring pollen or trichome?

Today I was walking in Melbourne’s spring weather and noticed after a big gust of wind, how thick the air was with pollen. It wasn’t grass pollen that pedestrians were wiping from their faces. It’s was tree pollen from Melbourne’s beautiful European trees, such as the Plane Tree.

Interestingly, plane trees have trichomes (small hair-like growths) which are an irritant. They’re sharp, can get stuck in your eyes and irritate your nose. So if you’re in an area where there are Plane Trees, it maybe these irritating trichomes that are bothering you!

Read more about tree pollen, trichomes at what’s in the air at the Melbourne Pollen website:
https://www.melbournepollen.com.au/news-events/time-tree-pollen-and-other-things/

Pollen count and forecast

The School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne offers a service that forecasts the level of pollen in the air. The forecast alerts those who suffer from hay fever and seasonal asthma of the likelihood of being exposed to high levels of grass pollen, helping sufferers to take preventative steps in danger periods.

You can access this information from their website or by downloading the mobile apps through the links below.

Website:
https://www.melbournepollen.com.au/

Apple iOS app:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/melbourne-pollen-count/id707461899?mt=8

Android app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plenum.pollen

Thunderstorm asthma - where to get information

During grass pollen season people may notice an increase in asthma and hay fever. The grass pollen season, which runs from October through to December, can also bring the chance of thunderstorm asthma.

Thunderstorm asthma is thought to be triggered by a unique combination of high amounts of grass pollen in the air and a certain type of thunderstorm.

For people who have asthma or hay fever this can trigger severe asthma symptoms.

Learn more about Thunderstorm Asthma at the Better Health Channel website:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/thunderstormasthma

Where can I buy Homeopathic remedies?

I often get phone calls from consumers wanting to buy Homeopathic medicines without an appointment. In Australia, natural therapist’s don’t sell practitioner-grade products directly to the public without a consultation first. This is called extemporaneous prescribing and is part of Australian health regulations.

There are Homeopathic medicines which are available direct to public and meet the Therapeutic Goods Administration (the government body who regulates 
health products) requirements for public sale. These products are designed specifically for retail.

Some businesses which stock direct to public are listed below:

Martin & Pleasance

Having operated in Melbourne for over 150 years, Martin and Pleasance stock Homeopathic kits, replacement vials, tissue salts, creams and more via their online shop.
http://store.martinandpleasance.com/epages/martinandpleasance.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/martinandpleasance/Categories/Lab

Owen’s Homeopathics

Owen homeopathics is a West Australian-owned company that specialises in the provision of single remedy homeopathics and specialised kits for the public.
https://www.owenhomoeopathics.com.au/

Homeopathic Supplies, Abbotsford

If you’re Melbourne-based, you may prefer to purchase your remedies from the Homeopathic Supplies dispensary in Abbotsford. The dispensary is staffed by a fully qualified Pharmacist / Homoeopath / Herbalist who has over 25 years of experience.
https://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/connect/homoeopathicsupplies/about_us/about_us