It first starts with a tingle in your nose that gets worse by the second, giving you the urge to sneeze happening on an unsuspecting day in spring while you are out for a walk. You sneeze, think it's over but then comes another round of sneezes, which can go on forever. Apart from the sneezing, your eyes start to itch and become watery. In most cases, when you blow your nose, spots of blood come out. You can't mistake it for a cold. It all happens so quickly. Welcome to the club, you are officially allergic to pollen.
In most of Europe, in countries north of the Mediterranean like Germany, pollen start flying by the end of February. They come from trees such as Alder, Birch and Hazelnuts. These microscopic culprits usually lie in the innocent looking structures that seem like dangling earrings at the branch of the leafless trees. As the months progress, all sorts of pollen from bushes and grass join the party, making it even more difficult to breathe for those with allergy. If it has been sunny for several days, the degree of breathlessness gets worse and some even get asthma. Rain becomes a very welcome gift from above and pollen-sufferers, like myself, really look forward to it!
The instinct is to go to a doctor, but which one? A family doctor will most likely diagnose you with pollen allergy but will refer you to a dermatologist who will carry a prick-test on you. The dermatologist will prick several tiny holes on a part of your arm with a sharp needle, put a drop of a solution of selected allergens on each of the spots that were pricked and will ask you to wait, and not move. After about 10 minutes, you will start seeing some spots get redder and itchier and then you find out which substances and pollen you are allergic to. The standard treatment is called 'desensibilisierung' where you are going to be given a solution of allergen to take orally in small doses over a period of time under the doctor's supervision. It aims to make your body familiar with the allergen as a harmless object of nature and not an invader to your immune system. The problem is, you need many appointments and that they usually begin in autumn. In the meantime, the doctor will prescribe antihistamines to offset the symptoms of allergy. Taken once a day either in the morning or before going to sleep, it can help you cope with the pollen. When taken in the morning, there is a tendency for you to feel quite sleepy during the day, but it is not the case for everyone.
If you get asthma attacks when it hasn't rained for a few days and pollen concentration is high, the doctor might prescribe an inhaler. You need to use it properly or else it won't work. The trick is you take a deep breath and exhale, place the inhaler in your mouth and upon inhalation count slowly to 5. At the count of 1 press the spray button and inhale, counting slowly. Then, stop at 5 and hold your breath for another 5 counts for the substance to be absorbed. Breathe normally and if you require another puff, just repeat the steps again. It will take about 5 minutes for the inhaler to take effect and so try to keep calm while waiting for your airways to open again.
What are the other alternatives? Well, running a humidifier in your room can minimize the risk of developing an infection in your nasal area since dry air irritates it. Inhaling steam can also help your airways. You can also take nettle tea in the mornings before going out and drink it three times a day or, for a more powerful effect (for days when pollen concentration is higher), I use a tincture from a herbalist called the Nettle Blend. Nettles are known to relieve the symptoms and since it is natural, there are no side effects. Keeping your windows closed keeps the pollen out. Open the windows only when it rains, which of course may take a while. Showering right when you get back home to remove the pollen from your skin and hair. To prevent pollen from spreading around the house, change you clothes once you arrive home and keep the clothes you wore outside in the laundry basket.
Why does this happen? There are studies saying that immigrants from developing countries are usually much healthier than the local population of their new host country upon arrival. However, over time, the immigrants also become as allergic to pollen as the locals the longer they living in the host country. Plus, the immigrants tend to develop all sorts of medical conditions, which could perhaps be explained by environmental factors.
I am a textbook case. When I arrived in Germany in 2008, I was quite healthy and never got a cold, flu nor allergies while my German friends and colleagues were constantly sick with them. Five years later, I started having strange symptoms of breathlessness and itchy eyes, which of course turned out to be pollen allergy. Not only that, I developed sensitivity to gluten and dairy but no doctor could diagnose it. I discuss this in a separate blog. My theory is that a change in diet and the adjustment of my immune system played a role. Back in Manila, I simply consumed rice and way more vegetables than animal products while coming to Germany made me eat like a German - lots of bread, processed food, dairy and animal products. I also got much less sun exposure, so no Vitamin D. In a developing tropical country like the Philippines, the immune system is highly active fighting off a multitude of viruses and bacteria that love the hot humid environment. In Germany, when the weather gets cold, many pathogens naturally die off, and generally, developed countries seem to be highly sanitized as compared to developing ones, leaving my overactive immune system with less to do. So, when pollen starts flying, my immune system treats it as an invader, much in the same way it mistakes gluten for one.
Apart from moving to another country with less pollen concentration at this time of the year, I guess the choices are quite limited to reducing the symptoms. As long as I live in Germany, I guess I have to live with the sneezing and itching and pray for rain.
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