I knew it was too good to be true…. There is a down side to all those great benefits I was going on about a few weeks ago…. (See ‘The health giving properties of red wine…‘)
In a useful post in Today Health, Danish researchers are reported to have found that the risk of perennial allergic rhinitis is raised by 3% for every additional alcoholic beverage consumed each week. How come? Because bacteria and yeast in the alcohol produce histamines which can ramp up your allergy symptoms….
Other depressing findings are that more than 75% of hay fever sufferers are allergic to at least one common houseplant, ficus, yukka, ivy, palm, orchids and ferns being the worst offenders.
More cheerfully, they report that a South Korean study found that laundering cotton sheets at 140 degrees (F) killed 100% of dust mites while washing at 104 degrees (F) only killed off 6.5%.
They also suggest that if you are pollen allergic you strip as soon as you get home, throw your clothes in the washing machine (to avoid dragging pollen all over the house) and shower to remove any pollen clinging to your person.
And, if you are going to swim in chlorinated swimming pools, wear goggles to protect your eyes from the irritating effect of the chlorine. A recent study in Pediatrics found that teens who spend more than 100 hours in a chlorinated pool have a 3 – 7 times higher risk of developing hay fever than those who swim in chlorine-free pools. Personally I think chlorinated pools are the invention of the devil so I am not at all surprised – but I know I am in the minority here….
Click here to read the full article.