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Have a Sneeze-free Summer
 Every year hayfever affects up to 12 million people in the UK, making the summer months miserable and uncomfortable.
The BAD news is that experts believe sufferers will face a longer season of sneezing, itchy eyes and nasal congestion as grasses and trees sprout earlier due to global warming. The GOOD news is that today there are more effective over-the-counter products available from your local pharmacy.
Hayfever is the most common allergy in the UK and is sometimes known as allergic rhinitis or a “summer cold”. The most common symptoms include sneezing, blocked nose, running nose and itchy nose.
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Asif Khan from the Globalhour group of pharmacies based around Barnsley offers some advice to hayfever sufferers:
Avoid going outside when the pollen is high:
• Watch the pollen forecast. It is usually given as low, moderate, high, or very high. Most sufferers will start to experience hay fever symptoms at moderate levels.
• Watch the weather. Rain will wash pollen out of the air and stop plants releasing pollen. As soon as the sun comes out more pollen than normal will be released.
• Watch the time of day. Grass pollen is released from about 7.30am on a dry warm morning. Winds blow the pollen around, and increase the chance of breathing it in. Still sunny days cause pollen to rise high into the atmosphere, reducing the chance of breathing it in. The pollen falls back to earth when the atmosphere cools in the evening.
Advice for reducing exposure to pollen:
• Keep windows and doors closed when pollen levels are high. Dry clothes and bedding indoors, as pollen can stick to clothes hanging outdoors to dry
• Keep the house as dust free as possible, to control pollen levels. Keep away from pets who have been outside and avoid grooming them yourself
• On high pollen days change your clothes and wash your hair when you come in to avoid bringing pollen inside.
• Cover your bed and pillows with a spare sheet during the day to keep the bed pollen free.
• Avoid areas where pollen is being released, such as unmown grass in the mornings, or near to pollen-releasing plants.
• Avoid cutting the grass or walking through cut grass
• Air-conditioning can help filter pollen out of the air. This can help at work, at home, or in the car.
• Avoid smoky or polluted atmospheres.
• Wear wrap-around sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes
• Many will be familiar with medical brand name treatments used to help hayfever which include Cetirizine (Zirtek, Piriteze etc), Loratadine (Clarityn), Beclometasone (Beconase) and Fluticasone (Flixonase), Acrivastine (Benadryl) and Sodium Chromoglycate (eye drops). For specific advice on hayfever treatments, consult your pharmacist who will be happy to help.
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