If you’re prone to seasonal allergies, here are three aggravating factors you don’t always think about.
Repetitive sneezing, stuffy nose : if the symptoms return each spring and they last more than 10 days, no you are not suffering from a simple cold but from a seasonal allergy. “Most people who suffer from seasonal allergies are often unaware that there are things not to do, little things that may seem harmless but that make their allergies worse.” It was after having drawn up this observation that an allergist, member of the American college of allergy, asthma and immunology, published a “warning message” stressing “that there is no reason to suffer A few changes in habits may be enough to make the spring more pleasant “.
Avoid eating tomatoes
It may sound strange, but seasonal allergies can be the manifestation cross allergies Between pollens and food. This is due to a cross-reaction between the proteins of certain fruits and vegetables (and certain nuts) and those of the allergenic pollen. For example, if you are allergic to birch or alder pollen, it is best not to consume celery, apples or cherries. In case of hay fever, avoid tomatoes, potatoes and peaches. Consult an allergist for more information.
Avoid opening windows during the day
This may seem the most surprising because opening the windows is a spontaneous gesture as soon as the good weather returns. It is even a recommended gesture to hasten to drive away mites from the house. But if you have a pollen allergy, it’s best not to open your windows wide during the day to prevent pollens from entering your home and getting stuck in the carpet and furniture. Ventilate your house instead in the evening, when the pollens have fallen.
Avoid drying your laundry outside
Here again, the temptation is great to take advantage of the first rays of spring sunshine to dry your laundry in the fresh air rather than inside the house. Unfortunately, in this season your laundry will dry by soaking up the pollen grains suspended in the air. .. and this is how you bring the enemy into your house and end up with puffy eyes or a runny nose in the morning!
How do you know if you are allergic?
This requires consultation with a doctor, preferably an allergist. “In case of suspicion ofallergy, it is necessary to carry out a complete allergological assessment. This includes an interview, skin tests and, if there is any doubt, biological examinations “, explains Professor Pascal Demoly, pulmonologist and allergist at the Montpellier University Hospital.
- The interview. The doctor asks about the patient’s environment, family history, and symptoms. The goal is to identify the allergens potentially involved, which will be looked for during confirmation tests.
- Skin tests, or prick tests. They make it possible to confirm or eliminate a suspicion ofallergy. And if so to determine the responsible allergens. These tests consist in depositing about fifteen allergens on the forearm, then to make them penetrate by pricking gently with a kind of needle. After 15 minutes, if the person is sensitive, a significant hives pimple appears. The procedure is painless. Often these tests confirm other signs and it is not necessary to do further tests.
- Blood assays. Unit tests measure the level of IgE (antibody) corresponding to a suspected allergen; they can be carried out in addition to prick-tests in case of doubt. So-called “multiple” tests (which look for several allergens at the same time) are used by non-allergic physicians for screening. THE’allergy is confirmed if their rate is very high. The respiratory allergens most often sought are: dust mites, cat or dog hair, grass pollens (especially cocksfoot and pheole), mugwort, birch or cypress depending on the region (more common in the South-East).
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