Information on Hay Fever

Hay fever
Hay fever is becoming more and more common and a large number of the population suffer from it. This is a direct allergy to pollen, either from grass, flowers or trees. It is normally restricted to the spring, summer and autumn months when the grass is in seed and the flowers, trees and weeds are in full germination mode.

What causes hay fever?
Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Severity of symptoms is directly related to the amount of pollen in the air and the amount of pollen that the sufferer is exposed to. This can vary depending on Pollen count, heat, and time of day. One thing to bear in mind is the pollen shower. This explains why people often find that their symptoms increase at night. Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with an attack of hay fever or pollen asthma? And do you ever wonder why this should happen? The explanation is that warm air, rising up from ground level on a summer's day, takes pollen with it high into the Earth's atmosphere. When the air cools down after sunset, this pollen slowly descends again, creating an invisible pollen shower.

Symptoms
Symptoms are similar to rhinitis:

• sneezing and streaming or blocked nose and itchiness of the nose, throat and mouth
• often accompanied by red, itchy streaming eyes
• coughing or wheeze and shortness of breath can also be experienced and for some people the pollen can bring on asthma symptoms.

Linda Gamlin in The Allergy Bible states that the less common symptoms of hay fever are:

• Dryness of the throat if the nasal blockage results in constant breathing through the mouth
• No sense of smell due to a blocked nose (but nasal polyps can also cause this)
• A feverish sweaty feeling (but the body temperature is usually normal)
• Swelling and inflammation of the eyelids, sometimes leading to blistering and ulceration: there is a risk of blindness if this is not treated promptly
• Recurrent sinusitis
• Ear ache, a stuffy feeling in the ears, or glue ear
• Itching in the ears

Some sufferers also experience:

• Oral Allergy Syndrome (an itchy tingling mouth) from certain fruits, nuts and vegetables
• A skin rash from pollen falling on the skin (direct contact with the leaves of the offending plants, or with droplets of moisture from them, such as when mowing a lawn or using a strimmer, may also produce a rash)

Even more rarely there can be:

• Stomach upsets or even colitis (inflammation of the bowel) possibly due to pollen swallowed with food or in the saliva
• Irritation of the vagina
• Migraine
• Kidney inflammation (nephritis), leading to puffiness of the face and hands, and possibly other symptoms
• Joint pains
• The last two are probably caused by pollen allergens bound to their antibodies and carried in the blood

Who gets hay fever?
Almost anyone can get hay fever. People can develop it in childhood or adulthood. Some people react only to one type of pollen and others react to many different types of pollens. Like with any allergy symptoms also vary in their severity from mild sneezing to much more debilitating symptoms that affect people so much that life becomes very difficult during the summer months.

What can I do if I have hay fever?

Treatments
There are many antihistamines and steroid sprays on the market and prescribed through your doctor. We sell a range of natural hay fever products to help reduce your symptoms.

Avoidance
For those who prefer not to use medication. Avoidance is the best measure. The following recommendations come from The Allergy Bible and the product recommendations come from The Healthy House:

• It is a good idea to keep an eye on the pollen count to plan activities around pollen levels. Avoid going outside at times of high pollen. Counts are highest in the afternoon and late evening.
• A personal air purifier can be worn to filter the air reaching the mouth and nose.
• A room air purifier is great for clearing the room of pollen either for day use or night time use.
• Our non toxic allergy sprays are a great help with reducing pollens in the air, on furnishings and in the washing.
• Our customers have had a lot of success from our natural nasal sprays and the acupressure band.
• Holiday by the sea rather than inland where air is full of pollen.
• Shower and change clothes when you come in from outside. Remember that pets can also bring pollen into the house.
• Travel with closed windows and use a filter on the air intake and an air purifier.
• Wear glasses as this helps to restrict the amount of air reaching the eyes.
• Keep the windows closed in the house and use an air purifier to clean the air.

Disclaimer
Information included in this website is intended for information purposes only and is not to be used as a substitute for consultation with a medical practitioner.

References
The Allergy Bible, Linda Gamlin, Quadrille 2001 p26 and p126