Allergies and runny noses

In Malaysia, haze often takes centre stage in conversations during the dry spells from May to October when the prevailing winds blow the smoke from forest fires in Indonesia towards Malaysia.

It is one of the more common reasons why many Malaysians suffer from airway ailments such as nasal congestion and runny nose to chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks.

April 23, 2017 Health, Wellness

By Star2.com

If you have allergic rhinitis and your pet aggravates your symptoms, keep the animal out of your home as much as possible. — Reuters

Haze is an aggregation in the environment of very fine, widely dispersed solid or liquid, or both, particles, in relatively dry air, giving the air an opalescent appearance.

Haze contains dust and smoke particles. It also contains air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

Due to the small particulate size, the particles that make up haze can go deep into the lungs.

When inhaled over a period of time, it can aggravate underlying allergic rhinitis problems. Haze irritates the nose, which causes it to secrete more mucus to protect and flush out extra particles.

And when the mucus builds up, the nasal passages then become blocked, congested, and may even swell.

Allergic rhinitis defined

Allergic rhinitis develops when the body’s immune system becomes sensitised and overreacts to something in the environment that typically causes no problems in most people.

Allergic rhinitis is also commonly known as hay fever. Contrary to its name, you don’t have to be exposed to hay to get hay fever, nor a fever when you are actually suffering from it.

Two different types of allergic rhinitis are:

• Seasonal: Usually caused by allergic sensitivity to airborne mould spores or to pollens from grass, trees and weeds.

• Perennial: Generally caused by dust mites, pet hair, cockroaches or mould. Underlying or hidden food allergies rarely cause perennial nasal symptoms. People with perennial allergic rhinitis experience symptoms year-round.

Some people may experience both types of rhinitis, with perennial symptoms getting worse during specific pollen seasons.

There are also non-allergenic causes for rhinitis.

Signs and symptoms of allergic rhinitis include a runny or stuffy nose due to blockage or congestion; red, itchy and watery eyes; puffy eyelids; sneezing; and even coughing.

Symptoms may also be triggered by common allergens such as haze, cigarette smoke, strong odours (such as perfume or hair spray) and fumes.

Tips on managing hay fever

The first tip is to try and avoid or minimise allergen exposure that trigger symptoms.

Other tips include:

• Try not to rub your eyes; doing so will irritate them and could make your symptoms worse.

• Keep windows closed, and use air conditioning in your car and home. Make sure to keep your air conditioning unit clean.

• Reduce exposure to dust mites, especially in the bedroom.

Use “mite-proof” covers for pillows, blankets and mattresses.

Wash your bedding frequently, using hot water.

• Vacuuming is a better option than sweeping. Clean furniture and floors with damp cloth, because this removes dust better than dry dusting and sweeping.

• Wash your hands immediately after petting any animals, as well as your clothes.

• If you are allergic to a household pet, keep the animal out of your home as much as possible.

• Consider buying an air filter like a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter, which removes particles in the air by forcing it through screens containing microscopic pores.

Treatment options

Many allergens that trigger allergic rhinitis are airborne, so you can’t always avoid them.

If your symptoms can’t be well-controlled by simply avoiding triggers, your healthcare professional may recommend medications that reduce nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing and itching.

They are available in many forms – tablets, liquid medication, nasal sprays and eye drops.

Most medications have side effects, so it is best to discuss these treatment options with your healthcare professional, who may also recommend some alternative treatment options that are natural and without side effects.

There is a safe and effective, clinically-tested, natural, non-medicated sterile nasal decongestant sea serum spray that is recommended for chronic nasal sufferers that helps soothe delicate nasal tissues. This solution comes from the pristine waters of Saint-Malo, a port city in north-western France.

Founded in the 12th century, Saint-Malo is well known for its singular tidal waters that ensure fresh and renewed water with every tidal cycle.

This natural, preservative-free decongestant spray is made up of a 2.2% hypertonic concentration of mineral salts in a sterile seawater solution and contains more than 80 minerals that work together to help cold, flu, allergy and sinusitis sufferers ease their delicate nasal tissues and expel excess fluids from swollen sinus passages – a natural process known as the “osmotic effect”.

This seawater decongestant spray can be used as often as needed without harming nasal tissues or causing unpleasant side effects.

It restores clear breathing through nasal passages with a dual-action hypertonic formula that clears and opens nasal and sinus passages, as well as soothes nasal tissues.

It is safer than traditional decongestants and because it does not contain medications, it is non-habit forming, does not cause unpleasant side effects and won’t interfere with any other medications you may currently be taking.

It’s safe for long-term use and for children six years and above.

Even pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and those intolerant to traditional decongestants can safely use it.

http://www.star2.com/health/wellness/2017/04/23/noses-that-run/

Astragalus: Chinese medicinal herb enlisted in fight against allergic rhinitis

A herb long used in traditional Chinese medicine for diabetes has been recently proven effective for allergic rhinitis, with some even touting the plant as a 'superfood'.

This post is on Healthwise

Sunday June 1, 2014

BY TAN SHIOW CHIN

For those with seasonal allergies, like hay fever, the A. membranaceus activated root extract needs to be taken one month before the start of the season as a preventive measure. – AFP

A herb long used in traditional Chinese medicine for diabetes has been recently proven effective for allergic rhinitis, with some even touting the plant as a 'superfood'.

Take a look around you, is there someone you know who has symptoms of allergies?

This might be in the form of allergic rhinitis — runny and/or blocked nose, watery eyes and sneezing; food allergies — itching, rashes, and even, difficulty breathing, upon consumption of the trigger food; eczema or contact dermatitis — itchy, red skin rashes; and allergic asthma — difficulty breathing upon exposure to the allergen, among others.

There is a pretty good chance that you know one or more persons who have some form of allergy, or even have allergies yourself, as the Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology estimates that one in three Malaysians suffer from some sort of allergy.

In fact, allergies are a rising medical trend both globally and locally. Experts predict that if the present trend continues, around half the country's will be affected by ailments caused by allergies by 2020.

While allergies are unlikely to be fatal for most sufferers, they do seriously affect quality of life. This is especially so for those who are allergic to substances that are commonly found in the environment, like dust mites, pet dander and pollen.

According to Croatian medical doctor and researcher Dr Silva Pecanic, the current goals of allergic rhinitis management is to improve quality of life and minimise side effects from treatment.

“There are three main methods of management. First, of course, is the allergen avoidance. But this requires a lot of education of the patient, a lot of discipline, habit changes, and is quite restrictive,” she says, noting that when one family member has an allergy, the entire family usually suffers along as well.

“The other method is pharmacotherapy. Current pharmacotherapy includes nasal steroids, which have a lot of side effects like dryness, and after long-term use, leads to thinning of the nasal mucosa, making it prone to bleeding or infections. There are also a lot of side effects for antihistamines, which are often used to decrease allergy symptoms, like dryness, drowsiness, dizziness, and sometimes, trouble urinating,” she says.

The third method of treatment is with leukotriene inhibitors. However, Dr Pecanic notes that the US Food and Drug Administration has updated the precautions on this group of drugs to include warnings on reported adverse neuropsychiatric side effects like agitation, aggression, problems sleeping, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts.

She says: “All these treatments are directed at the final symptoms — after the histamine attack. And all these patients usually change their therapy because they are never fully satisfied with their medication — changing from one antihistamine to another, and the nasal steroids and the nasal decongestants.”

Regulating allergy genes

Dr Pecanic, who is currently the Regulatory Department head of the South-East European Croatian-based health supplements and non-prescription drugs company Milsing, was in town recently to speak about a new allergy treatment based on the herb Astragalus membranaceus.

Also known as huang qi, bei qi or huang hu huang qi in Chinese, the dried root of A. membranaceus has actually been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. Its primary function in TCM is as an energising tonic and boosting the immune system, as well as treating diabetes.

It is this last function that led a group of researchers at the Ruder Bokovic Institute in Zagreb, Croatia, to take a deeper look at the root of this herb 14 years ago.

Milsing Product Development head and pharmacist Iva Martic shares: “During the research, they discovered that the activated root extract of A. membranaceussubstantially influences some of the genes which are involved in the inflammatory reaction.

“After that, they performed a series of tests, and animal and clinical trials, to show that it does affect more than 20 genes involved in the inflammatory process.”

In was at this stage in 2003 that Milsing, which develops such products commercially, got involved.

According to Martic, their research showed that the activated root extract of A. membranaceus helps to regulate the genes involved in the Th1 (Type 1 helper T cell) pathway. (See What are helper T cells?)

Increased activity of this pathway helps balances out the Th2 (Type 2 helper T cell) pathway, which is the one responsible for releasing histamine and other inflammatory chemical mediators that cause allergy symptoms.

Providing effective relief

In 2007, Dr Pecanic and her colleagues conducted a randomised, double-blind clinical trial at the University Hospital Dubrava in Zagreb. The results were published inPhytotherapy Research in 2010.

Forty-eight patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were randomly put into two groups for the six weeks of the trial. Two-thirds of them received the activated root extract of A. membranaceus, while one-third received a placebo. No other pharmacological treatment for allergies was allowed.

According to Dr Pecanic, participants on the root extract showed significant improvement for rhinorrhoea (runny nose) after three weeks on treatment, and itching or burning eyes after six weeks, compared to those on the placebo.

In addition, subjective evaluations on treatment efficacy from patients and doctors respectively both showed an agreement that the root extract was significantly more effective than the placebo.

She adds: “There were very few adverse reactions, and all of them were actually symptoms from the allergy. The conclusion was that there were no adverse reactions related to the root extract.”

While the treatment for the clinical trial was administered at the start of the allergy season, Dr Pecanic says that the treatment works best when begun a month before exposure to the allergen or allergy season (for example, spring in temperate countries when pollen starts to spread), as a preventive measure.

Patients need to take the treatment as long as there is risk of exposure to the allergen.

However, those who have perennial or constant allergies can also start the treatment at any time, as then, it will work to reduce the symptoms they are already suffering from. They would need to take a stronger dose of the root extract until their symptoms subside, whereupon they can continue with the maintenance dose until they are no longer at risk of being exposed to the allergen.

Dr Pecanic says that it takes up to about a week in such patients for the treatment to start showing effect. She adds that they can also combine the root extract with their usual pharmacologic treatments for symptom relief.

Although patients will probably have to continue taking the root extract for as long as they have allergies, which is usually lifelong, Dr Pecanic notes: “It is a natural product; it does not have side effects. And it is much better to take such products than drugs with side effects. It is safe.”

http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Health/Alternatives/2014/06/01/Astragalus-Chinese-medicinal-herb-enlisted-in-fight-against-allergic-rhinitis/

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