Not to be Sneezed At

The sneezing season is here again. As the grasses and summer flowers come into bloom, they start to release pollen, which triggers an allergic response in the estimated 12 million hay fever sufferers in the UK. And sadly for them, the mild winters mean that the pollen count start rising earlier each year.

The sneezing season is here again. As the grasses and summer flowers come into bloom, they start to release pollen, which triggers an allergic response in the estimated 12 million hay fever sufferers in the UK. And sadly for them, the mild winters mean that the pollen count start rising earlier each year.

‘The almond blossom was out in February this year which meant another early start to the hay fever season,’ comments Muriel Simmons, Chief Executive Officer of Allergy UK. ‘The season used to start in June but now people can expect symptoms as early as February,’ she explains.

What is Hay Fever ?
Like all allergies, hay fever is an abnormal reaction by the body’s immune system to a normally harmless substance – in this case pollen. What happens is that cells called ‘IgE antibodies’ (which normally fight bacteria), wrongly see pollen as an intruder. Though an allergic reaction is caused by these cells attacking the pollen to try to stop the body being invaded.
When exposed to a certain level of pollen, the antibodies release histamine and other chemicals to fight the intruder. This in turn triggers a whole host of symptoms including sneezing, itchy eyes, a runny nose and even irritability and tiredness.
No one really knows why some people are more susceptible than others but it could be hereditary. Muriel agrees. She believes genes are a major factor. ‘The UK, Australia and New Zealand are the top countries for hay fever and when you look at where the settlers came from it follows that the hereditary link cannot be ignored,’ she says.

WHO GETS IT?
Children and young people are especially at risk of hay fever although according to Muriel an increasing number of people over the age of 40 are suddenly developing hay fever for the first time. And the reason? ‘There are so many more allergens than there used to be and we are becoming less able to withstand them,’ explains Muriel. ‘We are literally being bombarded with thousands of chemicals in all corners of our daily life and we are generally becoming much more sensitive,’ she adds.

TREATMENT TIME
So if you start to sneeze how do you know it’s hay fever and not simply a summer cold? ‘If you get a cold that lasts forlonger than a week and gets
worse at certain times of the day, for example first thing in the morning or last thing at night, you should start considering hay fever,’ says Muriel.
Conventional medical treatment options include nasal sprays, eye drops and antihistamines and in more extreme cases, immunotherapy in the
form of a tablet, injection or drops under the tongue. In the first instance you should go to your doctor for a diagnosis and suggested treatment plan or an allergy screening service may be available at your local pharmacy (see Screen Test, below).

LIFESTYLE CHANGES
‘Making certain lifestyle changes especially to your diet can certainly help alleviate symptoms,’ says Muriel. ‘Raw tomatoes and grasses are common triggers so it is worth cooking tomatoes and avoiding wheat and oats and keeping a careful watch to see if symptoms improve.’ If you are allergic to
birch pollen try to avoid celery, raw carrots, apples and pears and anything hot and spicy. Staying clear of processed foods and cutting out sugar, alcohol, saturated fats and caffeine can also give your immune system a welcome boost. Other self-help tactics include driving with your car windows
closed, wearing wraparound sunglasses, asking someone else to mow the lawn and monitoring pollen forecasts daily, as well as staying indoors when the count is extra high. Using a nasal spray like Nasaleze can help to trap pollens. Nasaleze coats the nose’s lining with a natural inert cellulose layer that traps pollen and stops an allergic reaction.

SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFITS
‘Taking supplements during the hay fever season is another way of strengthening your immune system,’ says nutritional therapist Maria Griffiths. A good multivitamin and mineral supplement will help boost immunity while vitamin C and vitamins B6 and B5 are natural anti-histamines which can help reduce symptoms.