Writer: Juri A.
Editor: Prashan J.
Have you ever heard about how many people end up with hay fever? According to a TV program, each person has an empty container-like structure inside their body, and you accumulate substances that can cause hay fever into it. When the container is full, you get hay fever. This means that every person has the potential to get hay fever. However, according to my research, it was not technically a container. You accumulate antibodies created within your own body in reaction to the pollen that gradually accumulates in your body through your eyes and nose. Once the amount of antibodies reach a certain level, a chemical substance causing an allergic reaction is secreted and hay fever symptoms appear.
I, the writer of this article, have eventually come to the final phase of having a pollen allergy. I define the final phase as when your eyes feel a bit achy and you sneeze sometimes. Once this state gets worse, then you will have hay fever. (Some people who are in this final phase do not realize that they are at risk of getting hay fever and I used to be one of them too! I have not got hay fever yet.)
Now you might say that you do not want to have hay fever! Worry not, as I have researched some tips to prevent hay fever.
１Being healthy
It is important to maintain a healthy immune system by getting a night of good sleep and having a good diet. This is also what you have to typically do in order to prevent catching a cold.
It might be a little hassle for students living by themselves to prepare their meals considering a balance of nutrition every day because it takes lots of time. One TV program featured a student from Tokyo University who does not have normal meals, but nutrition supplements only in order not to waste his time. I do not personally recommend this. However, taking supplements with meals might be a good idea for hectic students.
２ Maintaining a normal mucous membrane
Inflammation in the mucous membrane can trigger and aggravate your hay fever. Here is the bad news for heavy smokers and alcoholics. Smoking and drinking can damage your mucous membrane. If you are at risk of getting hay fever, it is best that you refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol.
３Avoid absorbing pollen
As I mentioned in the introduction, accumulation of pollen causes hay fever. Therefore, the best prevention must be avoiding the absorption of pollen into your body in the first place. So it is important to wear a mask at all times. Shutting windows and doors properly, and wiping off your clothing before entering the house will help a lot as well. I guess because of this covid-19 situation, the occurrence of hay fever might be reduced greatly since we wear masks and even stay at home.
If you think you might be at risk of getting hay fever, I recommend you get medical treatment as soon as possible. That can help you to hinder the progress of aggravation. It is always better to take action to prevent symptoms at an early stage before you actually get hay fever. I hope this information helps you.
【Vocabulary】
Hay fever 花粉症 (かふんしょう)
Antibodies 抗体 (こうたい)
Pollen 花粉 (かふん)
Mucous membrane (鼻の粘膜) はなの ねんまく
Inflammation 炎症 （えんしょう）
Secrete 分泌(ぶんぴつ)
References
Times Of TIU 