An expert warns that pollen levels might not have peaked in Suffolk
Despite the Met Office warning us that there's going 'high' amount in the East this weekend
An expert is warning us that we may not have reached the peak levels of pollen here in Suffolk
Despite the Met Office warning us that there's going 'high' amount in the East this weekend. Something that's thought to affect 50% of people across the UK
"Work better if you take them before you start to react"
Max Wiseberg is an airborne allergen expert:
"We haven't reached the peak I suspect. Although we've got 'very high' in other areas of the country we have only had high here and therefore I think we are in for more".
"Anti-histamines work better if you take them before you start to react, so if you haven't started reacting yet but you normally do- do that. You can can also take a nasal spray, if you're happy with pharmaceuticals, they are based on steroids.
"We are right in the thick of it now"
He told us why grass pollen is proving to be particularly troublesome:
"Grass pollen is small and light, so it's carried on the wind. While pollen from plants is carried from plant to plant, by bees. So those sort of plants don't get airborne so much. You can still be allergic to them".
"The end of May to the end of July is when it's most potent. So we are right in the thick of it now. There is usually a peak sometime in June and sometime in the middle of July. So we have got two peaks to watch out for".
Hay fever symptoms
Common hay fever symptoms include sneezing, runny or blocked nose, itchy eyes, mouth and throat. Less common hay fever symptoms are headaches and hives.
Pollen facts and forecast from the Met Office
1. In some people there is a correlation between pollen levels and anxiety.
According to the International Journal of Child Health and Human Development, high pollen levels can affect anxiety levels in people with recurrent mood disorders, such as bipolar.
2. Your pets can get hay fever.
Yes, like us cats and dogs can get hay fever. If you think your pet might have hay fever or would like help identifying it, take a look at our how pollen allergies affect you and your pets page to see what you can do to help.
3. The pollen season lasts longer than you may think.
The pollen season can start as early as January and end as late as November. Our pollen forecast is now live, click to find the latest Pollen forecast.
4. Hay fever affects 1 in 5 people
5. Spiderlings eat pollen.
Although usually carnivorous, spiders feed pollen to their young. It's not known how they manage to eat it though, since their mouths are not large enough.
6. It can fight crime.
Well not quite; pollen is used in forensics to determine where a person or object has been. It has even been proposed that pollen is added to bullets to enable them to be tracked.
7. Alcohol worsens the effects of pollen.
Beer, wine and other spirits contain histamine - the chemical that sets off allergy symptoms in the body.
8. Pollen is first observed in rocks over 120 million years old.
It's a critical component of natural selection in plants.
9. Rain can be bad news for hay fever sufferers.
It helps the grass grow well and if it's followed by dry weather there will be higher levels of pollen.
10. Air quality and pollen.
Urban areas tend to have lower pollen counts than the countryside, but pollen can combine with air pollution in the city centre and bring on hay fever symptoms. It’s not just in the summer months either; it can peak as early as April and May.