Hay Fever Treatments
Sliced Bread
BBC
4.6 • 695 Ratings
🗓️ 25 May 2023
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What works to help with the symptoms of hay fever?
The better weather’s here but for the millions who have hay fever that just means a runny nose and itchy, streaming eyes. And for some people it’s seriously debilitating – listener Richard got in touch because his wife can’t go out and play with the kids in the spring and summer months.
In this episode I’m investigating the treatments that claim to help. I speak to an expert from Allergy UK to find out what works and whether - as listener Lisa wonders - the generic or own-brand versions work as well as the more expensive branded ones. And could a hay fever injection be the one-shot solution Richard’s wife is looking for?
Also, you might have heard about the gut microbiome…but did you know there’s a nasal microbiome too?! I’m finding out about some new research which shows probiotics could play a role in treating hay fever.
This series we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products, so if you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad, and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.
PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCER: Simon Hoban
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, podcast fan. |
| 0:03.0 | Consider this your invite to the UK's biggest podcasting party. |
| 0:06.7 | We're heading to Sheffield from the 4th to the 6th of July |
| 0:09.0 | for the BBC Sounds Fringe at the Crossed Wires Festival. |
| 0:12.8 | We'll be joined by some of the biggest names in podcasting, |
| 0:15.3 | including Sarah Cox, Charlie Hedges, Russell Kane, |
| 0:18.4 | and some bloke called Greg James doing his radio four show called Rewinder. |
| 0:23.2 | You can watch live shows of your favourite podcasts, |
| 0:25.3 | and the best part is free. |
| 0:28.0 | To book your free tickets, |
| 0:29.3 | go to crossedwires.orgive, forward slash fringe. |
| 0:34.1 | BBC Sounds, music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:41.3 | Hello, I'm Greg Foote and welcome to the show that investigates your suggested wonder products. |
| 0:46.8 | If you have spotted something claiming to make you happier, healthier or greener, let me know. |
| 0:51.6 | I will run it through the evidence mill and find out if it is indeed |
| 0:54.4 | the best thing since sliced bread or just marketing BS. Send your suggestions over on email to |
| 1:00.4 | sliter.bred at BBC.co.com. Or as a voice note on WhatsApp to 07543 306-807, which is just what |
| 1:08.8 | Lisa Warlidge from Sutton-Cold did. |
| 1:18.3 | Hi Greg. At this time of year, my husband and I suffer from hay fever. We sneeze, we have runny noses and itchy eyes. There are lots of products on the market saying they can help. |
| 1:23.6 | What I would like you to look into, though, are the tablets. We normally take the one a day type and a pack of 30 branded tablets such as Claritin |
| 1:31.3 | or Puriton cost between 10 and 12 pound but for 30 own brand supermarket tablets the cost is £2.50 to 3 pound. |
| 1:40.3 | Looking at the boxes both sets of tablets seem to contain the same active ingredients. So from branded |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.