Don’t let hay fever ruin your summer

What is super pollen? Hay fever hits when the body mistakenly sees pollen as a threat and releases the chemical histamine into the bloodstream to fight it.

Histamine causes inflammation in the airways, triggering the trademark symptoms of itchy eyes and runny nose.

Recently warmer average temperatures and higher pollution levels mean that pollen, once restricted to spring and summer, is now around for a record nine months of the year.

This means the hay fever season starts with alder trees releasing pollen in January and continues right up until the last of the nettle pollen disappears in late September.

About one in four hay fever sufferers will be allergic to birch tree pollen. After birch, the most common allergen is grass pollen. And very high counts of grass pollen can trigger symptoms in people who have never had hay fever before.

To make matters worse, new plant species that can cause horrible streaming noses are cropping up on our shores.

Ragweed is native to North America, where it kicks off annual hay fever havoc. And now it is making its mark here.

Again, people who have not been troubled by summer sneezes may find superstrong ragweed pollen an irritant. But it is the increase in pollution from diesel and other fumes that is making a bad situation worse. Research reveals that pollen and air pollution molecules combine to form clouds of mutated super-pollen, which stays trapped in the air for longer. It is stickier so it can linger in your eyes and nose, triggering “super-allergy” symptoms that are worse than usual. Who is at risk from super allergies? Nearly everyone is at risk – Britain has one of the highest rates of hay fever in the world. People who already have other allergies and asthma are also more likely to suffer.

Around 25 per cent of the population suffer from allergies. The figure rises to nearly 40 per cent in teenagers.

But don’t suffer in silence – or drive your family mad with your sniffing and sneezing. You can fight back with these expert tips. Get the right medication Talk to a pharmacist or GP for advice on antihistamines. They are still the most effective hay fever treatment and work by dampening down the allergic response. Give a natural approach a try For a natural alternative, give Healthspan Pycnogenol a go. It is a pine bark extract that