Top Tips to Stop Symptoms
What are you allergic to?
Pollen from trees and wind- pollinated flowers can affect people more than grass pollen. However you might also be reacting to mould and fungi spores which can also be high at the same time of year. If you know which pollen you react to, avoid the associated food family when the pollen is at its worst.
Top Tips to stop Your Symptoms!
What are you allergic to?
Pollen from trees and wind- pollinated flowers can affect people more than grass pollen. However you might also be reacting to mould and fungi spores which can also be high at the same time of year. If you know which pollen you react to, avoid the associated food family when the pollen is at its worst.
Avoid bringing pollen indoors
Dry all washing indoors, wear a hat outside and change your clothes when you come in. Wipe pets with a damp cloth to remove pollen from fur. Buy window filters for your home or tape a couple of layers of thin muslin or netting over the window opening.
Gadgets
Use whatever works for you – try wraparound glasses, facemasks and air purifiers in your home and car. Hay fever cream like Hay Max can trap pollen particles before you breathe them in. Homoeopathy and acupressure bands can also be really helpful.
Help your immune system
Lower your total load. Reducing exposure to other allergens like dust mites, and paying attention to diet, air and water quality will help your body cope better. Opt for low-fragrance and petrochemical-free toiletries and cleaning products. Antihistamines may help to suppress symptoms but they will add to your total load. Support your immune and detoxification systems as best you can with what you can tolerate.
Enjoy your garden
Levels of both pollen and moulds change throughout the day; early afternoon can be a better time to go out. Weather can make quite a difference to pollen levels. On humid and windy days pollen spreads easily. On rainy days pollen levels are likely to be low but mould levels may be high. You can make some simple changes to your garden to relieve hay fever: choose insect pollinated and female plants or consider replacing grass with gravel or paving. For more ideas see: Gardening With MCS
Cross Reactivity
During the hay fever season some people find it helps to avoid the foods that cross react with the pollen that they are sensitive to.Typical cross reactivity associations include:
|
Inhalant Allergen |
Food Allergens |
| Birch pollen | Apple, raw potato, carrot, celery, hazelnut, pear, peach, plum, cherry |
|
Grass pollen Mugwort pollen |
Apple, peach, plum, cherry, melon, peanut, tomato, beans, peas, gourds Celery, apple, peanut, kiwi fruit, carrot, parsley, spices (fennel, coriander, aniseed, cumin) |
| Ragweed pollen |
Melons, e.g., watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, bananas |
For a daily pollen forecast click here.
A longer, detailed article about ways of reducing hayfever symptoms is in the MCS-Aware Magazine Spring 2013 edition.
What pollen when? 
