DR LAURA RYAN: Ask the Doc – ‘Any tips for my hay fever - and Lyme disease?’
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Q. I get hay fever every year and want to stop it happening this year. Are there any ways I can prevent it?
A. It is very difficult to completely avoid pollen or spores. However, reducing your exposure to the substances that trigger your hay fever should ease the severity of your symptoms if you know that there is a specific thing that triggers them.
Avoiding grass cutting, walking in grassy areas, and camping may reduce your exposure to pollens. For some other plants or trees the pollen is released at specific times of days so avoiding going outdoors for the few hours when the pollen is at its peak can help some sufferers. When you are outside, wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes and change your clothes and take a shower when you come back inside.
In the house, vacuuming your floors regularly and dusting surfaces with a wet cloth can help reduce circulating pollen. Keeping doors and windows closed can also help.
If you get hay fever, there are several over the counter medicines available, ask your pharmacist for help and advice or visit www.nhsinform.scot.
Q. I recently had a tick bite treated and was warned about Lyme’s Disease. What is this?
A. Lyme disease can often be treated effectively if it’s detected early, but if it’s not treated there’s a risk you could develop severe and long-lasting symptoms. Many with early-stage Lyme disease develop a distinctive circular rash at the site of the tick bite, usually around three to 30 days after being bitten.
Other more serious symptoms may develop several weeks, months or even years later if it is left untreated or is not treated early on. Symptoms include pain and swelling in joints, problems with the nervous system, heart and brain.
Visit www.nhsinform.scot for more info.
