ALLERGY ADVICE

Got the sniffles this spring? Survive hay fever season with easy ways to manage symptoms

Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, occurs when allergens – such as dust, pet hair or, more commonly in spring, pollen – get trapped in the lining of the nose and/or eye and cause irritation.

“The body misrecognises [pollen allergens] as being potentially harmful – like a bacteria or virus – and it tries to expel it from the body by producing mucus and the eyes tearing up,” Associate Professor Ed Newbigin, coordinator of the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Pollen Count Team revealed to The House Of Wellness.

As for why some people get hay fever, and others don’t? It’s often down to genetics.

Robyn O’hehir, professor of allergy and clinical immunology at the Alfred Hospital and Monash University, recently told The Sydney Morning Herald around 40 per cent of the population have an inherited susceptibility to allergic rhinitis.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

There are a few options you can try to avoid your hay fever allergy developing into asthma and sinusitis (inflammation of the nasal sinuses).

Try staying indoors for as long as possible on windy spring days where there will be more allergens stirred up in the air – the same goes after thunderstorms. Check pollenforecast.com.au to see the pollen count in your area.

Talk to your pharmacist about over-the-counter treatments such as nasal sprays, eye drops and antihistamine medications.

Natural treatments can include washing your eyes regularly with cold water and using a salt water nasal spray, both to help flush out pollens and allergens.

A longer-term treatment option can be immunotherapy, which uses small doses of allergen extracts that are ingested over a period of time (via a tablet or injection) with the aim to manipulate and strengthen the immune system against that particular allergen.