Tips To Manage Hay Fever In Cork This Summer

Hay Fever In Cork – Top Tips To Combat Hay Fever This Summer

Manage hay fever in Cork this summer with our top tips and treatments. Hay fever – or seasonal allergic rhinitis – is a common ailment afflicting many people. Each spring and summer, one in five people in Ireland is affected by hay fever.

Hay Fever Season In Cork

In Cork, hay fever often kicks in during April and lasts until August, peaking in the last fortnight of June. Some experts argue that it appears as early as mid-March. The main culprit is grass pollen, especially Timothy grass.

The warmer weather in South West Cork means that the grass pollen season tends to start here in mid-May, earlier than the rest of Ireland. In Dublin and the midlands, the high season usually begins at the start of June. In North West Donegal the high season starts up to a fortnight later.

Click here for Cork’s pollen forecast for today and this week

Hay Fever Symptoms And Causes

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to airborne particles, such as pollen or fungal spores. Hay fever is most commonly triggered by grass or tree pollen. When the allergen is inhaled, the immune system produces a histamine response resulting in some unfavourable physical symptoms which include:

Runny nose,
Sneezing,
Itchy and watery eyes,
Fatigue,
Coughs and sinus congestion.

Hay fever is caused when your body defends itself against allergens by producing antibodies. The antibodies bind to mast cells, a process which leads the body to releases a chemical called histamine.

Nutritional Tips To Combat Hay Fever

Following these nutritional tips can help to strengthen your immune system and reduce your hay fever symptoms:

Drinking green tea and eating apples. Green tea and apples contain plant sterols, which are known to regulate the immune system and help to stabilise histamine reactions.

Eating two portions of omega 3-rich fish weekly. A diet rich in omega 3 will be less prone to inflammation. Wild caught salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring are great sources of omega 3. Almonds, flax and chia seeds are also good sources, however you would need to eat them in larger amounts.

Boost your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D helps to keep the immune system balanced and also has anti-inflammatory properties. If you aren’t getting some time in the sun, you might want to consider a good supplement.

Support your gut with probiotics. As most of your immune system is located in the gut, make sure yours is in balance by taking a good quality probiotic.

Eat foods that are rich in flavonoids and an amino acid called methionine. Sources rich in flavonoids and methionine include nuts, berries, and fish. When it comes to flavonoids, it is generally true that the darker the berry is, the more it contains. Not only are these foods great to eat, the flavonoids and methionine have natural anti-inflammatory properties, which can help counteract the allergic reaction that brings on your hay fever symptoms.

Daily Living Tips To Manage Hay Fever

Other daily living tips which can help you deal with hay fever include:

Avoid lush grassland areas
Keep windows closed during late morning and mid-afternoon, the peak times for pollen levels
Wear wrap-around sunglasses to prevent pollen from affecting your eyes
Avoid smoking and smokers
Try to get someone else to help with mowing the lawn and gardening, or at least make sure you’re wearing a face mask if you need to mow it yourself
Keep your bedroom windows closed while sleeping
Used tea bags chilled in the fridge make for the perfect smoothing compress for watery or itchy eyes
Keep an antihistamine medication on-hand for sudden allergy attacks

Methionine Supplements for Hay Fever

If the natural methionine sources aren’t doing the trick alone, methionine supplements up to 500mg per day may help. Another supplement that may interest you is quercetin. Quercetin helps to work as a natural anti-inflammatory.

Menthol inhalers such as Siang Pure

These small plastic tubes contain a mix of menthol, eucalyptus oil, camphor, and borneol. This combination of ingredients helps to clear away mucus, thus reducing the chances of repeat sneezing. These inhalers are also sometimes helpful in treating motion sickness, vertigo, and dizzy spells.

Fixes From Your GP

When all else fails and you need an emergency short-term fix, your GP can prescribe oral steroids. Repeated or prolonged courses of oral steroids are harmful but they will get you through that vital client meeting or your baby’s christening.

Cork Pollen Forecasts