Have You got Hayfever?

In the last couple of weeks I've been sneezing away, my nose has been running, my eye's are dry and itchy and I have been suffering from headaches. All of these are common symptoms of Hay Fever.

Hay Fever is commonly identified as an allergic reaction to pollen and there are several types of pollen allergy which can determine how sever the Hay Fever symptoms are and what time of year they will appear:

grass pollen - half of adults in the UK who have hay fever are allergic to grass pollen, with the varieties that are most commonly responsible being rye grass and timothy. May to July/August.

tree pollen - one person in four in the UK with hay fever is allergic to birch pollen, but different trees produce pollen at varying times of the year and it depends which one you're allergic to as to when your symptoms are worst. Birch pollen is generally worst April/May.

weeds, such as ragwort and other plants, as well as spores from fungi and moulds. June/July to November.

I have only suffered from Hay Fever for the last couple of years, and the incidence of Hay Fever has risen dramatically in cities, which led to the discovery that pollutants such as exhaust fumes prime the immune system to react.