Swimming Pool – Chlorine Reaction
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Lorna Cairns
Posted on: April 6, 1998

I go swimming regularly and I think the chlorine affects me. When I come out of the pool I find that I am all blocked up and stuff running down the back of my throat. It feels as though there is a bad across my forehead and someone is squeezing my sinus.

Which herb(s) would be best to ease this, or eradicate it completely, and in which form, liquid, or tablet?

It sounds as though you have an allergic reaction to chlorine or possibly some other chemical in the water. In this case, you should stop swimming in chlorinated pools, and strengthen your system with herbs such as chamomile (Matricaria recutita) which i s anti-inflammatory, eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis), anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine and anticatarrhal, and plantain (Plantago lanceolata) which is anti-histamine, lymphatic and strengthens the mucous membranes. You can take these herbs in the form of a tea, one teaspoon to a cup of boiling water, infused for 15 minutes, three times a day.

Often, when the body’s resistance has been built up and mucous membranes healed, you can slowly reintroduce the allegen (swimming pool water) without getting the allergic reaction. The length of time estimated for healing is 3 to 6 weeks for every year t hat you have had the allergy. In your case, after your healing period, you could begin by swimming one day a week for a short time to see if the reaction reappears.

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