Why should plane trees get all the blame and how could food cross-react with and make my allergy worse?

If you have an allergy, unfortunately Australia is probably one of the worst destinations for you.

On top of that, Melbourne and South Eastern Australia is

one of the worst places in Australia for airborne allergy sufferers.

As displayed in the graph to the right, at around 42% of the population suffering from an allergy, we win the prize.

When you get to Melbourne or Sydney and you talk among fellow allergy sufferers, everyone will start blaming the damn Europeans for bringing those quaint, but highly allergenic Plane tress that line the city. They are a problem especially from September to November when the thick and heavy spores blow up your nose and eyes causing irritation to non-allergic and allergenic sufferers alike, However November to December is the peak time for grass pollen, and we’re probably better off blaming the grasslands in the north of Victoria and southern New South Wales. As we can see from the small sample group below, Rye grass is twice as likely to be your allergy culprit than Plane trees.

Incidence of hay fever is highest in south-eastern Australia in areas such as Melbourne, due to the large areas of grasslands to the north and because of northerly spring winds. 

In terms of other grass culprits, asthma weed was accidentally introduced in a shipload of marble from Italy in the early 1900’s. Paterson’s Curse was brought by Englishman Dr Paterson in the late 1800’s, and Ragweed in pasture seed from the United States.

What can be done?

The best first step is to get tested by an allergy specialist by a referral from your GP. Then you can decide if you want to try an injectable or oral desensitization vaccine for that allergy.

Be aware of high pollen count days which will be announced on weather sites, the newspaper, radio stations and news stations.

On those days you can choose to stay indoors more often, wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and use Vaseline gently smeared on the inside of your nose with a cotton wool bud to trap dust and pollen.

Cross reactions with food and existing allergies

Frequency in the population

  ·         Approximately 70% of individuals with food allergies also have other allergies, including hay fever.

  ·         Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) occurs in 15-20% of the population and about 50% of these will have some form of mouth                 (oral allergy syndrome; food contact hypersensitivity) or, less frequently, intestinal allergic reaction.

  ·         Birch pollen allergy is the form of hay fever most commonly accompanied by food allergies in the Western developed               world – in up to 80%.

  ·         Between 30-80% of individuals with latex allergy have associated allergic reactions to food.

  ·         Cross-reactivity between shellfish and house mite allergy is quite common.

  ·         Children with atopic dermatitis / eczema have a high prevalence (at least 30%) of food allergies, predominantly cow’s               milk, egg and peanut.

  ·         The incidence of food-induced asthma in children is about 6% (rarer in adults), with the most frequent offending food               allergies being milk, eggs, and peanuts.

Individual types of allergy

Allergies often involve multiple organs, e.g. gastrointestinal and respiratory systems including the sinuses, the eyes, skin and even the nervous system. Careful observation and history taking by the physician are essential to discover patterns of associations between allergies.

Common cross-reactions between pollen and food

  ·         Birch pollen: apple, carrot, celery, pear, tomato, cherry, tree nuts (infrequently: many more fruit and spices)

  ·  Goosefoot pollen: banana, melon, peach (infrequently: nectarine, asparagus, kiwi, potato, olive, onion)

  · Mugwort pollen (weed): carrot, celery, aniseed, peach (infrequently: many more fruit, vegetables and spices)

  · Ragweed pollen: melon, cucumber, banana, sunflower

  · Timothy grass: apple, litchi, tomato, celery, corn, bell pepper, paprika

Most individuals with hay fever cross-react with two or more foods. The most frequent symptoms are tingling, swelling, itching in the mouth or on the lips, but about 10% have intestinal symptoms.

Common cross-reactions between different foods

  · Shrimp, lobster, crab, less common: squid, scallops, clams, oysters 

  · Squid, scallops, clams, oysters, less common: shrimp, lobster, crab

  · Peanut, lupine

  · Tree nut (walnut, hazelnut, Brazil nut, pecan), pistachio, cashew

  · Cow’s milk, all mammal’s milk (e.g. >90% with goat and sheep milk, beef meat (10%!))

  · Hen’s egg, rarely other bird’s eggs and poultry meat

  · Cereal (wheat, oat, barley, rye, millet, sorghum, maize, rice): cross-allergy not common. 20% cross-react with one other cereal.

  · Flour allergy – consider mite contamination.

  · Fish, frequent cross-reactions, even between salt and fresh water fish. Not to shellfish. Distinguish from histamine intolerance (i.e. non-allergic, see Biogenic amines)

  · Seeds, sesame, mustard, sunflower

  · Peach and melon commonly cross-react with other fruit (generally mild reactions)

Latex- fruit allergy syndrome –latex contact allergy associated with food allergy in 30-80% of cases

  · Latex, bananas, avocado, chestnut, apple, kiwi, potato, tomato, melon, papaya. Less common: fig, pineapple, peach, pear, passion fruit, walnut, hazelnut, almond, grapefruit, strawberry, spinach, lettuce, celery, diverse spices. Contact allergy with latex products, as well as certain plants (e.g. fig, gum, oleander, cactus). 

Information courtesy of Food Intollerance Diagnostics Link

Chinese Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture is a very effective way to reduce symptoms and ease your immune system. We use specific formulas to stop the irritation of mucous membranes and ease the over excitability of your immune system to the allergen.

Mucous drainage from the nasal passages is immediate, desensitisation can take 4- 10 weeks depending on severity.