Cold winter at pollen allergy ideal

Cold winter at pollen allergy ideal

21/02/2011

Pollen allergy sufferers benefit from the crisp winter. The relatively long and cold winter also has its good side for hay fever patients. The pollen blossom has been waiting to come. „The crisp winter was ideal for hay fever patients“, explained the allergist Claus Kroegel of the University Hospital Jena opposite the „Märkischen general“. So far, the pollen count calendar is about two to three weeks behind schedule, „But now the pollen is flying again“ and things were going to be a success, emphasized Kroegel. According to the expert, between 15 and 20 percent of Germans suffer from hay fever throughout Germany.

Blessing for allergy sufferers - Pollen schedule is delayed
Normally, in many hay fever and asthma patients, the alder and hazel shrub blooms already produce the first allergic symptoms of the season at this time of year. Have this „Everything has moved a bit backwards due to the relatively long cold spell, but now it's going to be blown away“, explains Claus Kroegel. The hazel blossom begins around Christmas, but this year the cold long winter has led to a shift by two to three weeks, according to the head of the Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Immunology at the University Hospital Jena. Also, the alder bloom had begun this year with significant delay, which is likely to be a very pleasant side effect of cold and snowfall for hay fever patients. But the pollen allergy sufferers in the coming weeks before the concentrated cargo. In addition to hazel and alder blossoms, according to the pollen calendar, elm, willow, poplar, ash and birch blossoms are due by mid-March. According to the allergologist Kroegel, birch blooms in particular are problematic for pollen allergy sufferers and also these „is still ahead of us“.

Lifestyle causes increase in allergic diseases
The increase in allergic diseases observed since the 1980s and 1990s is largely attributed to the lifestyle of modern industrial societies by the specialist in the University Hospital Jena. „We no longer train our immune system, shield our children from germs and eat foods rich in preservatives that alter the natural gut flora“, criticized Kroegel. In addition, the ever better thermal insulation in the apartments and houses bring with it a higher concentration of allergenic substances in the rooms - because „In the past there was a draft in the houses, today everything is sealed“, so the explanation of the physician. In general, allergies are triggered by a malfunction of the immune system, which reacts to actually harmless substances with a defense reaction. According to the expert, the foundation for most allergies is probably already laid in a very early phase of life (in the first year of life).

Hay fever symptoms
Affected people recognize a pollen allergy to the typical symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, itching or conjunctivitis. Partly due to the increased secretion also the paranasal sinuses are affected by constipation and inflammation. The head of the Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Immunology at the University Hospital Jena warned against underestimating the allergic hay fever recklessly, because this could spread to the lower respiratory tract and pass into allergic asthma. Therefore, people with hay fever should discuss the risk and the treatment options of their pollen allergy with a specialist in the context of a medical consultation.

Treatment options for hay fever
Conventional medicine often uses symptom-alleviating drugs to treat pollen allergy, providing relief to patients in the short-term but not relieving the allergy. Many physicians now offer hyposensitization to treat the causes of pollen allergy, and over a longer period provide them with ever-increasing doses of allergens to induce immunological habituation - an adaptation of the immune system. In the treatment, however, sometimes significant side effects occur. From a naturopathic point of view, various treatment options such as homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture, the autologous blood therapy, hypnosis, Bach flower treatment and intestinal rehabilitation to restore the over-reaction of the immune system to a harmless substance back into a healthy immunological response. (Fp)

Also read:
Pollen allergy: hazel and alder in the approach
Ambrosia: World's strongest pollen allergen

Picture: Günther Richter