How to not bother yourself with all that pollen

A calendar of pollen-related allergies in Europe

Pollen is a common environmental allergen coming from:

• grass
• herbs (we consider many of them weeds)
• trees
• mushrooms.

Pollens tire out allergy sufferers all year round, not only in spring!

See the pollen load map of Europe per month.

In allergic people, pollen causes the so-called inhalation allergies, developing as a result of contact of allergens with the mucosa of the respiratory system, especially in the nose (runny or blocked nose, sneezing fits), throat (itching, coughing), but also bronchi (breathing problems, wheezing) and eyes (redness, itching, tearing).

Tree pollen allergy and how you can deal with it

The trees "dusting" mostly in Europe are:

• hazel (Corylus) and alder (Alnus),
• poplar,
• ash,
• birch
• oak.

Among them, birch and alder are the most allergenic, and the mildest: poplar .

There is no escape from tree pollen, as trees grow everwhere: in the city, in the countryside, in the woods, and in the park. However, there are allergy sufferers who can alleviate their symptoms not only with antihistamines. Many take advantage of the health-promoting properties of healthy eating. When hay fever worsens, they reach for marjoram, almonds, pumpkin seeds or buckwheat and millet groats. These products contain ingredients that promote a healthy mucosa, incl. selenium and zinc. Others choose a source of Omega-3 acids.

There are also people who are very happy when supplement with the supplements we recommend: Transfer Factor Classic (mildest) and Transfer Factor Tri-Factor (stronger) Our allergic customers are very satisfied with such supplementation, which you can read about here: 4Life Transfer Factor Tri-Factor is not a cure for allergies or hay fever, but it is worth supplementing

Allergy to grass pollen and why an allergy sufferer should not mow the lawn

Grasses (Poaceae) in Europe begin pollination usually in April and keep dusting the whole summer. The dusting period lasts, unfortunately, until the end of September. Why so long? This is due to the fact that we mow grass many times during its vegetation! But unmowed grass sheds dust only once a year! Therefore, allergy sufferers should approach their home lawns ecologically and mow them no more than once a year. Especially that grass pollen is as strong allergen as birch and alder. By not mowing the lawn, the allergy sufferer reduces his exposure to repeated flowering / pollination periods of grasses, and thus to repeated hay fever and other allergic symptoms.

Allergy to herbal pollen

A similar situation is with herbs, which in many gardens and parks are treated as weeds and are being mowed with grass. These include: plantain, sorrel and nettle. They start to dust in spring and continue until late autumn. Plantain, sorrel and nettle, however, are a piece of cake for allergy sufferers. In this category the heavy "artillery" is being rolled out only in July, and these are numerous plants of the genus mugwort with the graceful Latin name of Artemisia. Among them, the most famous are: mugwort, wormwood and tarragon.

Although most of the mugwort in the traditional medicine of many cultures has been used medicinally, their pollen is very sensitizing. Mugwort pollen reaches its peak in August. For this reason, mugwort can make the holiday vacation unpleasant for many allergic people. You can try to desensitize yourself to plant allergens in the so-called allergen immunotherapy. According to Prof. dr hab. med. Barbara Rogala is so far "the only (apart from avoiding contact with an allergen, which is often impossible) available in modern medicine, a causal method of treating allergic diseases, the symptoms of which are the result of exposed him. "

For people who have found themselves in the trap of pollen dust, because they did not have an opportunity to desensitize to it, we recommend natural methods of relieving symptoms recommended by the dietitians mentioned above, as well as our wonderful dietary supplements: Transfer Factor Classic (mildest) and Transfer Factor Tri-Factor (stronger).

Allergy to fungal spores

The microscopic, ubiquitous fungi are among the very strong inhaled allergens that are present all year round. They inhabit both natural areas and the houses and apartments in which we are staying. From an ecological point of view, they are extremely useful because they break down the remains of dead organisms. But for allergist that is not a very comforting argument. 

The most allergenic are those of the genus Alternaria and Cladosporium. How can we deal with them?

To minimize the exposure to fungal spores, we should keep order at home.  The more often we vacuum (but effectively, because not every vacuum cleaner effectively eliminates dust and organisms growing on it), the more often we ventilate rooms, bedding, etc., the better we protect ourselves against the pathogenic influence of microscopic spores. And it's important to know that mold allergy - like any allergy - can come or worsen with age as a result of accumulation. So do not underestimate any allergic pollens or spores!