Surprising news on allergies. Hay fever is a modern disease, virtually unknown before 1800 and becoming common only during the last century. Many had believed that this condition developed during childhood, and yet more and more adults are experiencing hay fever symptoms - the constant sneezing, running eyes and nose, itching, sometimes even headaches and fatigue for the first time in their lives.
Hay fever is an allergy to pollens (the male reproductive part of the plant) from either grasses or trees. A person can be allergic to a single pollen, or more than one. When these particles come into contact with the tissue in the nose or eyes, they set off an immune reaction in your own body that brings the symptoms of congestion, sneezing, itching and runny nose. As you know if you have it, it's hard to treat because the way an allergy affects the body is quite complex, and different in each of us.
With all it can tell us, medicine still cannot predict when people who are atopic (genetically predisposed to allergies) will start to experience symptoms. One theory on the timing of allergies holds that it may be something around you that triggers allergies in those who have the genetics for it. What that something is, experts still cannot say. Some believe that sufferers may in fact experience symptoms in childhood, but they are so mild that they go unnoticed. Even in the teen years, things aren't so bothersome that treatment is needed.
There is also no shortage of blame cast toward pollution somehow contributing to the mix, or the more sanitized environments we've created for ourselves that keep our children from being exposed to, and developing defenses against, infections. Interesting that researchers in Austria found that young children in regular contact with farm animals are less likely to have allergies later in life. They are also three times less sensitive to hay fever, four times less likely to have asthma than those living in a non-rural environment.
The best the experts can say on what causes allergies is that we cannot say for sure why this troublesome condition develops. More work needs to be done.
Hay fever in the U.S. affects more than 35 million Americans, and in the U.K. between 15% and 20% of the population is thought to be dealing with the discomforts that come with the warmer weather. The numbers are higher amongst teens, with the symptoms typically peaking in the 20s. But not everyone follows this pattern. Allergy specialists, estimate that the number of allergy sufferers has doubled in a 20-year period.
What can you do to help yourself be more comfortable?
- Find out what type of pollen causes your allergy so you can minimize your exposure, and start treating yourself at the right time. April symptoms are typically from tree pollen. Symptoms in May, June and July suggest grasses as the culprit. If your symptoms hold off until late summer, it's likely weed pollen and mold spores as the allergen.
- Avoid activity outdoors in the early morning, when pollen counts are at their highest. Stay inside on dry, windy days.
- Use a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom, and an allergy grade filter on any ventilation system.
- Shower and wash your hair when you get home, and keep windows closed, especially in bedrooms. Use air-conditioning whenever possible. Bring in washing hung outside before nightfall, as pollen levels go up at night.
- Try wrap around sunglasses to protect your eyes when outside, and wear a dust mask if you need to do yard work.
- Avoid mowing the lawn or raking leaves, as this stirs up pollen.
- Talk with your doctor about treatment. Antihistamine pills, eye drops and nasal sprays work to calm the body's allergic reaction, but do have some side effects. You'll want to start using your treatment two weeks before you expect your hay fever symptoms to start.
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