Seasonal Allergies

[mariana]

I became fully vegan a few weeks ago, and last week the trees and flowers started blooming here and I've had really terrible allergies. I get allergies every spring but this year has been way worse than usual. The medicine I've been taking doesn't seem to be helping at all! I don't know if there's more pollen in the air this year than usual or what, but I've been miserable the last few days...I don't even want to go outside. I don't see how this could be related to going vegan, but that's the only thing that's changed in my life recently. My mom suggested my body could be getting rid of toxins after going vegan, and I've heard people say before that your body "detoxes" after going vegan, so maybe this is just a combination of allergies on top of detoxing and that's why it seems so bad. Has anyone else experienced this? Did any of you go through a "detox" phase after going vegan? Thanks for your help.

[Risker]

You're right to put "Detoxes" in quotation marks, you should also add "toxins" they are words often used to sound scientific for non-scientific practices of healing the human body.

Chances are it's nothing to do with your diet, their may be more pollen in the air or maybe your new vegan diet is giving you a placebo affect, your best bet is to go to a doctor if you really think it's got that bad, maybe get an allergy test?

[Aurore]

i agree, you could always get an allergy test. also, for being allergic since i'm 12, i know for a fact the effects of my antihistaminics tend to wear off over the years, so i have to change my meds. that could be that too.

[harpy]

Sorry you're feeling bad but I think there other things that are more likely to produce this effect than going vegan.

My other half (lacto-veg) has an allergy to some kind of tree pollen (we think) and it seems to vary enormously from year to year based on the weather - at a guess, the temperature and whether it rains when the trees are releasing pollen.

A change of medication is a good idea. There are also 'alternative' remedies that are thought by some people to be helpful such as drinking nettle tea or taking luffa (loofah extract), and putting Vaseline just inside your nostrils (traps some of the pollen, supposedly). The only one of these that my other half would try is luffa and he thought it helped a bit, though it's hard to be sure.

[cedarblue]

tree pollen is on the go now and grass pollen starts round the end of may - i get grass pollen hayfever and need to take a nasal spray which seems to keep my nose clear and eyes non-itchy.

i got hayfever before going vegan and i have noticed that although i still get it, it is a degree or so less bothersome. it happened for me when i moved from kent up to hertfordshire. i'd never had it before then.

[treehugga]

Agree with everyone else. It's either pollen or medication losing its effectiveness.

[cobweb]

it really is a pain in the butt - mine and my son's varies a lot, i have been poorly this week.
i can recommend using a jala neti pot, and also i use an ear spray called audiclear - both a great help as i get a swollen, sore throat and nasty itchy ears.
the luffa also helps a little.

can't see any link with going vegan but when i'm stressed i get worse symptoms - maybe you've been a little stressed with the changeover?

[mariana]

Thanks for everyone's comments and advice! Yeah, my first thought it that the medication was losing its effectiveness (I've been on it awhile), and my second thought was that maybe just this year is particularly bad. The connection to going vegan never even crossed my mind until my mom brought it up, and I didn't really see how it could be related since I was almost vegan before (pretty much the only non-vegan things I ate were non-vegan desserts a couple of times a week). But I just thought I'd ask. Cobweb, I am stressed right now because I have final exams next week, so that could be part of it... I think I will just stick it out until my exams are over and I go home and then if it's still bad I'll see my doctor. But hopefully it will be better by then because I think the amount of pollen in the air should decrease by then. And cedarblue-that's encouraging that your hayfever's decreased since going vegan. I think I might try a nasal spray since eye itchiness is really bothering me. Thanks again for the suggestions everyone!

[Roxy]

Hi Mariana. My allergies have been worse this year too. I hope you find some relief soon.

[mariana]

Thanks Roxy! I hope yours get better soon too.

[DiaShel]

I've never had allergies before in my life and this year I have crazy post nasal drip (gross) . This is the first spring I've been vegan but from what I'm hearing it's just a bad year for allergies. Everyone seems miserable right now.

[Roxy]

Thanks Roxy! I hope yours get better soon too.

Thanks I never got allergies until I moved to Canada. Every spring and every autumn I get itchy, dry eyes and sneezy. I don't have to take medication or anything for it. It's just bothersome. Sometimes I sneeze upto 10 or 15 times in a row

[mariana]

I've never had allergies before in my life and this year I have crazy post nasal drip (gross) . This is the first spring I've been vegan but from what I'm hearing it's just a bad year for allergies. Everyone seems miserable right now.

That makes me feel better (not that you have allergies, of course, but that this is a bad year)...so maybe it's not that my medicine is losing its effectiveness, but just that this is a particularly bad year. I don't really want to have to switch to stronger medication. I'm sorry you're feeling sick, though! Hope it gets better.

Thanks I never got allergies until I moved to Canada. Every spring and every autumn I get itchy, dry eyes and sneezy. I don't have to take medication or anything for it. It's just bothersome. Sometimes I sneeze upto 10 or 15 times in a row

That's been happening to me all the time lately (multiple sneezes)...very annoying! What's also really annoying is the minute I walk outside my eyes start gushing so it looks like I'm crying all the time! I just hope it gets better soon, for all of our sakes!