The Big Sneeze *

 

‘Tis the season to be sneezy but what exactly is hay-fever, why does it happen and what can you do about it?

Roughly 1 in 4 adults and about 15% of children suffer from hay-fever in the UK - that’s a lot of sneezing and watery eyes! And what’s with the name? It doesn’t only come from hay and you don’t get a fever. Regardless of the name, it’s a real pain in the grass so what can you do about it?

 The correct term for hay-fever is ‘seasonal allergic rhinitis’. This is because it can happen (as everyone who suffers from it knows...or perhaps nose) at any time from early Spring to late Summer.

What’s this Season’s Fashionable Allergen?

Now we’re suffering with tree pollens (my particular allergen of choice) and in later Spring we’ll move on to grass pollens. Then we get weed pollens, which can last throughout the growing season. Fab!

Basically, any type of pollen that is small enough to be blown by the wind can cause an issue for the hay-fever sufferer, as they’re more easily inhaled. Perfume from flowers can be irritating but not in the same way.

What Causes the Symptoms?

When you suffer from hay-fever, when you breathe in pollen the body sees it as an invader. This triggers histamine, an organic compound involved in the immune response. This results in a runny nose and sneezing fits. The worse thing is that there’s no cure. However, there are, of course, things that can help.

What Should You Take?

Hay-fever tablets contain anti-histamines. They are designed to block the effect of histamines in the immune system and to reduce other symptoms like itchy and watery eyes but, interestingly, they don’t deal with the congestion.

The Generation Gap

o   First generation anti-histamines, like chlorphenamine.  

o   Second generation anti-histamines, like Cetirizine and Loratadine.

o   Third generation anti-histamines, like fexofenadine.

For some reason, anti-histamines (AH) tablets are split into generations. They have roughly the same effect but there is an issue with first generation tablets like chlorphenamine; they are known to cause drowsiness – not so great if you’re about to operate heavy machinery or conduct an orchestra! The second generation are cheap, especially when you buy superstore own brands and largely thought to be better in terms of the issue of tiredness (in a limited number of cases Cetirizine can cause drowsiness - about 1 in every 5 users). The third-generation tablets are apparently really effective but it depends whether you can be bothered with the extra cost (£8.89 online).

What Else Can You/Should You/Shouldn’t You Take?

·        DO Anti-histamine nasal sprays can be useful in reducing the effect of the itchy, runny nose

·        Steroid nasal sprays can be used under supervision of a healthcare professional

·        DO buy super market own brands. There’s no evidence that named brands are any better. Just look at the ingredients.

·        DON’T confuse cold remedy nasal sprays with anti-histamines. Cold decongestants are only meant to be used for a limited time and they may intensify the symptoms, as the body gets used to the effect and may make the hay-fever worse when you try to stop.

TOP TIP

Use SALINE SPRAYS! These are really useful in combination with the anti-histamines, as they wash out the allergen. The spray gives the tablets a great chance to work by removing all the pollen crud.

SADLY, NOT A TOP TIP

There’s no medical evidence to say that eating local honey has any benefit when it comes to reducing your hay-fever symptoms. Especially as bees eat flower pollen, which is not the cause of hay-fever – tasty though!  

Hope that helps.  Happy Spring everyone!

*All information based on Allergy UK