Rye and Ambrosia Allergy Pollen Calendar

Information about pollen schedule, symptoms and therapy for Ambrosia Allergy

24/05/2013

People with ragweed allergy usually suffer from the typical symptoms of hay fever: a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and watery and swollen eyes. Even people who have not suffered from any allergies to date, are at risk, because Ambrosia pollen are among the strongest allergens. Patients should be aware of the pollen count calendar. For the treatment of an ambrosial allergy, various natural remedies can be used.

Ambrosia allergy increases
Ambrosia pollen is highly allergenic. Six pollen per cubic meter of air are enough to provoke an allergic reaction in sensitive people. From a concentration of eleven Ambrosia pollen per cubic meter is a heavy burden. Grass pollen requires at least 50 pollen per cubic meter of air.

The mugwort ragweed grows in bush form as a stocky plant whose leaves are pinnate double to threefold and whose stems are hairy. Mostly the stems are slightly reddish colored. The male inflorescences are arranged in yellow, upright, finger-shaped grapes. As the North American mugwort ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) increasingly spreads in Germany and Europe, accordingly, an increase in allergies is expected.

Although the Ambrosia pollens fly late this year through the air, with a reduced allergic effect is therefore unlikely. Even just touching the ragweed plants can cause severe allergic reactions. After the pollen schedule begins in the middle of July, the heyday of mugwort ragweed, which begins with initially low burden for allergy sufferers. The main season of Ambrosia pollen lasts from the beginning to the middle of August. During this time, a heavy burden is to be expected, which gradually decreases in the first half of October. By mid-November, however, a low intensity of ragweed pollen pollution is still to be expected.

Symptoms of ambrosia allergy sometimes very violent
The symptoms of an ambrosial allergy include the typical symptoms of hay fever such as a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing and itchy, watery and swollen eyes. However, heavier reactions may also include headache, chronic fatigue, a general feeling of being down, and severe respiratory irritation. In particularly severe cases, an asthma disease can develop in which there is a risk of a life-threatening respiratory distress.

How many people in Germany suffer from an ambrosial allergy, experts can only appreciate. Scientists of the Allergy Center of the Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich (LMU) assume that in this country one in five suffers from hay fever. If ambrosia continues to spread so rapidly, up to ten percent of Germans could soon suffer from an allergy to ragweed, experts suggest.

Ambrosia pollen is highly allergenic, so that about 80 percent of allergy sufferers are also allergic to ragweed. In addition, the plant can provoke hypersensitivity even in previously insensitive persons without allergy.

Therapy for Ambrosia Allergy and Cross Allergies
As the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI) announced, an allergy to ragweed often leads to cross-allergies. People with ragweed allergy would therefore often suffer from allergies to celery, parsley, chives, pepper and many other herbs. In addition, there is a risk of cross-allergy in sunflowers, goldenrod, arnica, chamomile and other daisy family.

In the treatment of an allergy to ragweed various methods such as acupuncture, hypnosis, self-blood therapy, intestinal sanitation, vital substance therapy and homeopathy can be used in natural medicine. Conventional therapy, on the other hand, usually includes the administration of antihistamines and glucocorticoids (cortisone). Eye drops and nasal sprays are also available to alleviate the symptoms. To address the cause of the discomfort and in some cases even completely overcome the allergy, some physicians advocate hyposensitization. It should be habituated by the regular administration of low doses of allergens, the immune system to the substances and the allergic reaction be turned off. However, the procedure is still considered controversial. (Fp)

Image: Oliver Haja