Men\'s Health Australia - 11.2018

38 menshealth.com.au

A

HEALTH

FEVER PITCH

ITCHY EARS,
MOUTH
OR THROAT
You might not even notice the itch
at first, but you’ll subconsciously
make a soft clicking sound by
lifting your tongue and using it to
scratch your soft palate. “It drives
family and coworkers crazy,”
Tu c k s a y s.

WHY IT’S ALLERGIES
If you’re allergic to pollen proteins
from plants like birch or rag weed,
you might react to similar proteins
found in produce. (For an apples-
to-zucchini list of potentially
ticklish foods, go to aaaai.organd
search “oral allergy syndrome”.)
With this mild variation of a food
allergy, nasal and throat passages
get riled up upon contact with
cross-reacting allergens. The
contact allergy may also exacerbate
run-of-the-mill seasonal allergy
symptoms, such as sneezing.

YOUR PLAN
Note when the itching occurs
to learn if certain foods might be
triggering a reaction, and then
avoid them in the raw. You may
not have to give them up entirely,
because cooking destroys allergen
proteins. So if you’re a fan of apples,
you’ll be fine with apple sauce.
Sometimes you can prevent itch
just by removing the peel, where
cross-reactive allergens tend
to concentrate.

FAT IGU E

You feel exhausted

during the day even

though your sleep habits haven’t

changed a jot.

WHY IT’S ALLERGIES

Allergies prompt your body to

release chemicals that trigger

inf lammation. This alone can

wear you out. But these so-called

inflammatory mediators also

pump up mucus production,

causing congestion that can

impair breathing and stifle sleep.

“It’s functionally like having

obstructive sleep apnea,” says

allergist and immunologist Dr

Andrew Murphy.

YOUR PLAN

Use a corticosteroid nasal spray

(see the next page for options).

Itactsatthesiteandmayease

inflammation better than an

antihistamine will. If you pop

an antihistamine instead,

pick a non-sedating second-

generation one. First-generation

antihistamines, like Chlor-

Tr i meton, ca n cau se day t i me

fatigue even when taken at night.

“There’sahangovereffectfrom

these first-generation meds,

which are long-lasting,” Murphy

says. “You’ll think you feel fine

the next day, but neurocognitive

testing would show that your

brainisnotatfullpower.”An

unacceptable state of affairs.

NOSE BLEED

This one isn’t

so mysterious.

Inflammation from the

allergy, the use of allergy meds

(decongestants, nasal steroid

sprays, antihistamines) and the

sneezing can sometimes lead to

blood-tinged snot or nose bleeds.

WHY IT’S ALLERGIES

Inflammation, sneezing and

blowingmakeyournoseraw,and

medications can dry it out, causing

tissue in your nostrils to crack and

expose blood vessels. Don’t pick

your nose. “People manipulate

an uncomfortable nose with their

fingers, and that can damage dry

tissue,” says Dr Beth Corn, an

associate professor of medicine

at Mt. Sinai’s Icahn School of

Medicine in New York.

YOUR PLAN

Apply pressure to your nose for

upto 20 minutes while tilting

yourheadforward.Foralong-

term solution, ask your doctor

about nasal steroids. Their

inflammation-relieving effects

can prevent nose bleeds, although

steroids occasionally cause bleeds

in some people. You can also keep

your nose moist by swabbing it

gently with saline nasal gel at

night. In rare cases, a nose bleed

canbeasignofadisease,soifit

lasts longer than 20 minutes, seek

medical attention.

LOSS OF TASTE,

SMELL OR

HEARING

You’ve ignored your congestion

for at least two or three days

and notice that your hearing is a

bit muff led and/or you can’t smell

very well – and therefore can’t

taste food.

WHY IT’S ALLERGIES

Congestion can put pressure on

the middle ear or cause f luid to

accumulate in it. Your middle ear

connects with the back of your

throat, and the f luid build-up

makes it harder for your eardrum

to transmit sound. Meanwhile,

nasal swell ing and mucus

build-up can block the olfactory

sen sors in your nose, impairing

your smell power. It’s also

possible you have nasal polyps;

these soft growths result from

chronic inf lammation.

YOUR PLAN

Treat your allergy with a nasal

steroid spray or antihistamine.

Try a decongestant to relieve

stuffiness (unless you have

high blood pressure, which

decongestants can worsen). Don’t

use a topical nasal decongestant

for longer than two days or you

may risk a rebound effect. Your

doc can prescribe an oral steroid

(like prednisone) to shrink

polyps, but in some cases they

must be surgically removed.

B E AWA R E : A L L E R G I C R H I N ITI S (H AY F E V E R) I S O N T H E R I S E

17.1

%

Australians who

report hay fever

symptoms, up from

1 0.3 per cent in 1990.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

0.8C

Rise in average global

temp. since 1918 blamed

for soaring pollen count.

United Nations

1.6 DAYS

More than 1600 plant species are

blooming up to this much earlier

each year due to global warming.

Nature

Projected rise in

pollen count from

ragweed, compared to

pre-industrial times,

if current levels of

carbon dioxide

omissions go unchecked.

Australian Journal of Plant Physiology

320 %

15-

Peak age range for hay

fever symptoms among

Australian men.

Australian Institute of

Health and Welfare

27

The pollen season of ragweed

(common in Australia) goes for this

m a ny d ay s longer t h a n it u sed t o.

National Academy of Sciences