Treating Hayfever

Also called allergic rhinitis, thisy eyes and nose are due to the allergy, and the us inflammation of the lining of the nose and throat caused by an allergy to pollen. Of course, it does not cause a fever and often has nothing to do with hay! Hayfever usually develops in the late teens but it can start earlier.

Symptoms

The symptoms of itching and runny eyes and nose are due to the allergy, and the timing of your symptoms gives a clue to your specific allergy. If you develop symptoms in March or April you are probably reacting to silver birch, London plane, ash, or willow. Symptoms of grass pollen allergy (timothy, rye, and fescue) come on from May to July, and weed pollens (dock, nettle, or plantain) and mould spores cause trouble in July and August.

The number  of people suffering from hayfever has quadrupled in the last 30 years, but no ine really knows why. One possible theory is the effect of global warming on the life cycle of grass and trees.

Predicting Pollen Levels

The presence of pollen is given as a pollen count- weather forecasters often give a pollen index in their reports when its high. As a general rule, pollen counts are the highest on sunny days when there is a stable, high-pressure weather system. Theytend to dip first thing in the morning, then rise as the dew evaporates. When the air heats during the middle of the day, the pollen rises into the upper atmosphere and the count can fall but it increases again later, peaking in the early evenings as the air cools again. Peak counst occur occur earlier in the evening in rural areas than cities, where it remains warmer for longer. Contrary to popular belief, hayfever tends to be more of a problem in urban areas than it is the country. That may sound illogical given that there are fewer plants in cities, but it's probably due to the addictive effect of traffic fumes and pollens.

Treatments

Treatment depends very much on severity of symptoms. You can manage mild symptoms by simply staying indoors when the count is very high, keeping windows and doors shut. Wear wraparound sunglasses if you go out, and buy a car fitted with a pollen filter.

Eye drops and nasel sprays help runny eyes and noses, but many people take anithistamine tablets, available from you chemist. Talk to your pharmacisr about which one is best for you - the older types tend to cause drowsiness (no bad thing if you are struggling to sleep at night, but not ideal if you need to be alert for work); some of the newer ones are less sedating.

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal showed that the herbal remedy butterbur was as effective as traditional antihistamines for hayfever. Doctors have suggested this to lots of their patients with some great results and, unlike some antihistamines, does not cause drowsiness


I hope this will help you, if you have any further questions ask your GP/ Doctor. Good luck!
Credit to Dr. Dawn