Hay fever misinformation debunked
Although hayfever is pretty easily fixed with the right antihistamines , if you ' re a new sufferer , there ' s a lot of misinformation out there about how you should treat or prevent an allergy attack , which can be confusing . Chances are most of us have heard of the following theories , which it turns out aren ’ t true …
FLOWERS CAUSE ALLERGIES
“ Showy flowers usually have insect dispersed pollen , which is sticky and heavy and is carried between the flowers by insects , so it does not get carried in the air ,” explains Dr Emberlin . “ The pollen most likely to cause an allergy is actually the airborne type , from grass , weeds and trees , such as birch and oak . These types of pollen are small and light and are produced in vast numbers , so they can either be breathed in or enter through the eyes , triggering the allergic reactions of hay fever .”
HAY FEVER IS CAUSED BY HAY
“ Hay is cut dried grass ,” says Dr Emberlin . “ And while it may contain grass pollen grains and can trigger hay fever , it is certainly not the main cause . The name ' hay fever ' may have come about because the allergy peaks in the summer months when grasses flower and hay is made .”
RAIN CLEARS POLLEN
“ Often before a downpour there is an increase in wind gusts and downdraughts of air – the gusts can lift deposited pollen from surfaces and the downdraughts can bring pollen down from higher levels in the air where it has been lifted by convection currents ,” explains Dr Emberlin . “ Both of these factors can increase the pollen count , leading to symptoms just before or as the rain starts .”
RUBBING VASELINE AROUND MY NOSE WILL CURE MY HAY FEVER
“ Think of your nose like a chimney with smoke going up it ,” says Dr Emberlin . “ Some of the smoke might cling to the outside of the chimney like soot , but most of the smoke will still make its way upwards . The same is true with your nose ; you put a bit of Vaseline around the outside and it might catch a few grains , but most of the pollen is still going to go up your nose . I don ' t think lubricating the nostril helps at all - other than easing some of the soreness .”
HONEY CAN CURE MY HAY FEVER
“ I ' m not saying that it doesn ' t work ,” says Dr Emberlin . “ But the problem is that bees visit plants which have big , colourful flowers to collect pollen - rather than the type of plants that cause hay fever , like grasses and trees . It ' s very difficult to see how the honey can work . People might say flowers get covered in grass pollen , from a honey marketing point of view , but I ' ve never seen a single grass pollen grain in honey . Even if there were a few , the amount would be so microscopically tiny , it wouldn ' t have any effect .”
“ The nutrients in honey might help the immune system , and it certainly wouldn ' t do harm to eat honey from the local area , but I ' m afraid it ' s not going to cure your hay fever .”
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