Everyone who suffers from Hayfever will surely know how annoying and awful spring can be.
I like to prepare myself for the pollen season a little while before it kicks off. Sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and worse, around 16 million people in Britain experience symptoms once spring sets in.
Apparently this season is going to be a lot worse than last year’s. Therefore, it’s important to carefully chose where to go for short breaks or holidays.
The most common allergy is to grass pollen. Sufferers cannot really escape it because it’s paramount.
Being on the British coast, my symptoms are currently under control and overall as good as non-existent.
According to this map, the coastline, Scotland and Wales are places with a lower pollen count.
A lot of people don’t seem to realise how important it is to tackle allergies. It affects your everyday life, leaves you looking incredibly hung over, clinging to packs of tissues for dear life and even disturbs your sleep. Chronic Hayfever has also been linked to depression.
All good reasons to do something about it. So what are our options?
The symptoms are caused by the body’s release of histamine. Our immune system treats the pollen as intruders and goes into over- reaction.
- The first step to tackle allergies is to know exactly what substance, types of pollen ect.. you are allergic to. Doctors can easily determine this by analysing your blood and giving you a skin-allergy test.
- You may prescribed anti-histamine tablets. I’ve seen them in every shop as well and generally they work alright for the less severe cases.
- Desensitising treatments promise a permanent elimination of allergies. This works by getting the body used to the allergen causing the allergy. This can be done with injections, drops or even tablets. Definitely worth asking your doctor about.
