March 16, 2016
Crying eyes, greasy cough and itchy throat, runny nose? Look no further: the pollens are back, and your pollen allergy is waking up. One in three French people is sensitive to it, even if many still ignore it …
The mild weather over the past few days has not only made it possible to spend the last weekends in the countryside. She also gave the signal to Nature that it was time to bud and blossom … Who says buds and flowers, says pollens! And who says pollens, says allergies.
Pollens: Cypress trees are starting to bloom in the Southeast
As a result, the national aerobiological surveillance network (RNSA) has just launched its first alert bulletin. All of South-East France, roughly the whole of the Mediterranean basin, is classified in the red zone. In this area, the cypress trees began to flower, as did many other grasses.
With the exception of Brittany, which is classified “green” by the surveillance network, almost all of the rest of the national territory is classified “medium vigilance”, that is to say yellow in the classification system of the RNSA. . Ash trees, hazelnuts, hornbeam, birch, alder, begin to bud, and in places, to disseminate their pollens.
Allergies: antihistamines available without a prescription in pharmacies
Many pollen allergies are unaware, and sometimes take several years to associate the symptoms, sometimes very debilitating if not distressing, with the arrival of spring and the flowering of trees and grasses.
If you recognize the symptoms described at the beginning of this article on yourself or a loved one, do not hesitate to talk to your pharmacist. Your doctor may prescribe an antihistamine without a prescription, for up to five days of treatment.. Beyond that, an appointment with your general practitioner will allow you to obtain a longer-term treatment if necessary. Pollen desensitization is only considered if the symptoms are severe, especially if they trigger respiratory distress syndromes.
To read on the same subject: Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
