How to cope with hay fever

10/1/2013, Model makes as if she is sneezing, studio shoot. Picture: Adrian de Kock

10/1/2013, Model makes as if she is sneezing, studio shoot. Picture: Adrian de Kock

Published Oct 4, 2013

Share

Dublin - One in four people suffer from hay fever. Here are some tips to help...

 

 

Pollen allergy symptoms:

* Sneezing

* Blocked and runny nose

* Itchy eyes

* Cough and occasional wheeze

* Itch along roof of mouth and back of throat

* Intense lethargy

Symptoms vary from year to year depending on weather conditions.

The hay fever surge reflects a worldwide allergy epidemic and may be caused by a number of factors, possibly inter-reacting with one another.

Hay fever is usually only a mid-summer issue but it can drag on into early autumn. High pollen counts occur on warm, dry and sunny days. Low levels occur on wet, damp and cold days. Rain washes pollen out of the air.

Pollen is released in the morning and carried higher into the air by midday. It descends again to “nose-level” in the late afternoon. Cities and dense urban areas stay warmer longer and hold pollen.

The weather getting warmer will trigger a sudden surge in pollen levels inside a few short weeks, rather than the usual slow increase over many months.

 

Hygiene hypothesis

Clean living isn’t necessarily good for us. The immune system – underused and spoiling for a fight – goes overboard when finally given the opportunity, no matter how slight the opponent. Dirt, in other words, may be good for you.

 

Atmospheric pollution

Exposure to exhaust fumes/ cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing allergies. In the 1930s, hay fever didn’t exist in Japan. By 1970 onwards, 15 percent of Japanese schoolchildren were showing signs of pollen allergy. Japan’s rapid industrialisation and pollution swamped their protective immunity.

 

Overexposure to antibiotics

Over the past 40 years as widespread antibiotic use climbed, so too did allergy rates.

 

Treatments

The most effective therapy is an antihistamine to “mop-up” excess circulating histamine, the main cause of hay fever. This is often combined with a steroid nasal spray and anti-allergy eye drops.

Desensitisation (also called immunotherapy) works by gradually damping down the body’s immune response to pollen. Over time it stops the immune over-reaction.

 

Self-help tips

* Avoid areas of lush grassland

* Keep house and car windows closed during peak pollen hours

* Wear sunglasses

* If you can, avoid being outdoors late morning and late afternoon

* Don’t smoke and keep away from smokers (passive smoking aggravates all allergies)

* Get someone else to mow the lawn

*Choose seaside breaks for holidays as off-shore breezes blow pollen away

*Honey: Herbalists believe honey helps build up immunity to grass pollen. Thousands of people swear by their spoonful of honey a day. Use a simple filtered and pasteurised honey.

*Garlic: This has a wealth of positive health effects and is thought to boost your immune system while also providing a natural antihistamine effect

*Vaseline: Smearing a thin layer of Vaseline on the insides of the lower nostrils traps pollen particles that are attempting to make their way into your nose and sinuses. Try the aloe vera version to soothe your overwiped nostrils

* Food sensitivities: Some foods trigger an itch and slight swelling inside the mouth in pollen-allergy sufferers. Tree pollen sensitivity causes an itch with celery, curry spices, raw tomato, raw carrot, apples, pears and kiwi fruit.

If you’re allergic to grass pollen, you may also react to oats, rye, wheat, kiwi fruit and raw tomato. - Irish Independent

 

FACT FILE

QUESTION: Can I use combinations of hay fever treatments?

ANSWER: It is safe and sensible to combine hay fever treatments for the best results. For example, it is reasonable to use a steroid nasal spray with a daily antihistamine. Check with your doctor or pharmacist, but it is not uncommon for a patient with severe hay fever to be on three treatments to control symptoms.

Q: How do I know which antihistamine treatment is best?

a: Simply, trial and error. A once-a-day, non-drowsy tablet bought over the counter is a good place to start. Many different ones are available. If after three or four days’ use these don’t work for you, ask your GP about prescription antihistamines or an antihistamine nasal spray. However, if a blocked nose is one of your main symptoms, antihistamines are unlikely to be helpful. You can also become tolerant to antihistamines, and after years of using one type you might find you need to switch.

Q: What if antihistamines don’t work?

a: Steroid sprays are useful for hay fever if a blocked nose is your main symptom, and also if you want to avoid antihistamines because you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

If you know the time of year you usually get affected, you can start with a steroid nasal spray a few weeks beforehand to reduce the severity, but you must be consistent in your use.

The sprays can cause a dry nose or mouth, so don’t overuse them.

For hay fever which is so bad it is interfering with normal day-to-day life, doctors will sometimes prescribe a short course of steroid tablets to dampen down the immune system. - Daily Mail

 

WHAT CAUSES IT?

Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, occurs when the immune system mistakes pollen for toxins, causing the body’s cells to release histamines: chemicals which inflame the lining of the nose, throat and eyes.

Ninety percent of sufferers are affected by grass pollen, but pollen from trees and flowers as well as mould and fungal spores are also culprits.

Related Topics: