Ep. 121: How to Relieve Seasonal Allergies
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Summer is all about days in the park, meals in the backyard and weekends at the cottage. For more than 25 percent of Canadians, summer is also about red, itchy eyes and nasal congestion. Too often, seasonal allergies put dents in our summer plans—and over-the-counter medications don’t always help with symptoms. Dr. Anne Ellis, professor of medicine and chair of the division of allergy and immunology at Queen’s University, is director of the Environmental Exposure Unit, an internationally recognized facility where she leads allergy research trials. Here, Dr. Ellis and Medcan CMO Dr. Peter Nord tell you everything you need to know about why you have allergies, why allergy season is getting worse and what you can do about it.
LINKS
Visit Dr. Anne Ellis’ Twitter page. Read her bio and see her research.
Learn more about Dr. Ellis’ work with the Environmental Exposure Unit.
Dr. Ellis mentions the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology’s 2019 position statement on the safety of antihistamines.
Read the LEAP study in the New England Journal of Medicine’s February 2015 issue, which found that “the early introduction of peanuts significantly decreased the frequency of the development of peanut allergy among children at high risk for this allergy…”
Read this article featuring Dr. Ellis in the Globe And Mail: Climate change might be aggravating Canada’s allergy season, but solutions are within reach, by Pascale Malenfant.
See this helpful infographic allergy explainer by Asthma.ca
INSIGHTS
The parts of our immune systems that make us allergic to things “were initially evolved to try to fight off parasites,” says Dr. Ellis. In today’s industrialized societies, there aren’t many parasites, so those antibodies have learned to attack other foreign invaders, like pollen. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” she says. [3:57]
“The main cell involved with acute allergic reactions… is the mast cell,” explains Dr. Ellis. When our mast cells come into contact with an allergen, they break down and release histamine, along with other chemicals that cause symptoms like hives, nasal congestion or itchy eyes. [7:18]
So what are you allergic to? “Tree pollen and grass pollen are the main seasonal allergens that are getting to us,” says Dr. Ellis. “Then… we get a peak of ragweed pollen season in early- to mid-September, which coincides with when farmers would collect their hay.” That’s where the term “hay fever” comes from. [9:41]
Inconsistent seasons and climate change are making allergy season more unpredictable. “Pollen levels are definitely higher now than they were, say, 10 years ago, [with] the combination of the timing being different, [and] more overlap between tree season and grass season,” says Dr. Ellis. [10:31]
To help relieve your seasonal allergies, keep your windows closed at home and in the car, and have an air filtration system in place. Avoid hanging your clothes on the clothesline. “When it comes to seasonal pollens, avoidance becomes imperfect at some point, which is why people end up coming to see [specialists] like me,” says Dr. Ellis. [11:57]
Don’t treat your allergies with older, sedating, first-generation antihistamines like Benadryl, which can have numerous harmful side effects. Second-generation, or non-drowsy antihistamines like Allegra or Claritin, treat symptoms faster and better. Plus, “they don’t cause that same drowsy, ‘hangover effect’,” says Dr. Ellis. [13:30]
Antihistamines work by blocking the receptors that histamine binds to. “It doesn’t mop up histamine once it’s been released… So I do suggest that patients start taking antihistamines earlier on in the season,” says Dr. Ellis. Take your antihistamines in the morning before you feel symptoms to prevent histamine from being released. [17:43]
Immunotherapy treats everything you’re allergic to in one or two injections a month. “They'll actually change your immune system. Typically a five-year course is enough to produce a long lasting benefit… and you can stop after that point,” says Dr. Ellis. “Now, patients can treat themselves at home with sublingual immunotherapy, which is a tablet that dissolves under the tongue.” [19:29]
Despite past recommendations, “there is no reason to delay the introduction of highly allergenic foods [to infants],” says Dr. Ellis. “In fact, the LEAP study… show[ed] that early introduction of peanuts, as early as four to six months,… lead to an 88 percent reduction in the likelihood of developing [a] peanut allergy.” [21:45]
There are online sources that suggest eating raw honeycomb or drinking green tea every day can help relieve allergies. “[They’ve] never been shown in any kind of study to actually treat symptoms of allergy,” says Dr. Ellis. If you want to try a natural treatment, up to six saline rinses a day can help. “I recommend purchasing the ones from the pharmacy, so you know it’s sterile and properly prepared and safe,” she says. [24:18]
*LEGAL
This podcast episode is intended to provide general information about health and wellness only and is not designed, or intended to constitute, or be used as a substitute for, medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. You should always talk to your Medcan health care provider for individual medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, including your specific health and wellness needs.
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