Allergy Plus

Common Irritants

The scientific name for hay fever is ‘rhinitis’. It is a swelling or irritation of mucus membranes in the nose. Hay fever usually occurs when the body’s defenses overreact to allergens and chemical called ‘histamine’ is released from the cells in the skin. It is this chemical that causes many of hay fever’s symptoms. Pollen can be affected by weather conditions, changing how much is produced and where it is distributed.

In the UK, the pollen forecasts begin with tree pollen, which marks the beginning of the hay fever season. Grass pollen forecasts usually start at the beginning of June but will vary from year to year. If your hay fever symptoms continue at the end of the summer and into autumn, then you may be allergic to weed pollen or fungal spores.

Pollen counts tend to be highest early in the morning on warm, dry, breezy days and lowest during wet chilly periods. After the first hard frost, pollens vanish.

Hay fever affects up to 12 million people a year and can have a profound effect on their lives. However, natural treatments can help significantly in relieving the symptoms of hay fever and make the pollen season reasonably normal for a lot of sufferers. Whereas traditional anti-histamines and other drugs may help some patients, they cause problems with others. Typical anti-histamines may make even the simplest of tasks more difficult.