2019-03-01ReadersDigest_AUNZ

March• 2019 | 23

HAIR GEL

Anything you can do to

minimise your exposure

toallergytriggerscango

alongwaytomakingyou

feel better. One easy trick?

Don’t use hair gel, which,

perhaps not surprisingly,

collects pollen, says

allergist and immunologist

Dr Clifford Bassett.

ALLERGY SEASONS

ARE LONGER

Does it seem as if your

allergies get worse every

year?Youmaynotbe

imagining it. “Climate

change does seem to be

making allergies worse,”

says allergy specialist

Dr Richard Weber.

“Allergenic plants are

bigger and produce more

pollen, and allergy seasons

are starting earlier and

lasting longer.”

STRESS

Afterstudying179peoplewithhay

fever,researchersatOhioState

University discovered that the 39 per

cent who suffered more than one

allergy attack had high stress levels.

What’s more, the majority of people

in this group, who were studied for

12weeks,hadmorethanfourallergy

attacks within two 14-day periods.

Whilethestudydidnotprovea

cause-and-effect relationship, stress

isknowntoexacerbatemanyhealth

problems, and allergies appear to

be among them. “While alleviating

stresswon’tcureallergies,itmay

help decrease the episode of intense

symptoms,” said the study’s author,

Dr Amber Patterson.

WEARING SHOES AT HOME

In addition to tracking in dirt and mud,

you can track in pollen when you wear

your shoes into your house. If you’re

prone to allergies, Dr Dykewicz, a

professor in the allergy and immunology

division at Saint Louis University School

of Medicine, recommends not only

taking off your shoes when you get

home but also throwing them (and

everything else you are wearing) into

the washing machine.

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