00:00My field of research is infectious diseases, so I'm a big fan of the immune system because
00:08it defends us against those infections.
00:11However, the immune system can also act a little bit crappy sometimes, and that's exactly
00:17what happens in allergies.
00:19So an allergy is basically when the immune system sees something that is completely harmless
00:25and decides that it's not harmless and decides to mount a massive, exaggerated response against
00:32it.
00:33In the case of hay fever, it's a pollen grain, so it cannot hurt us.
00:38It doesn't do anything really, but the immune system of people with hay fever will see it
00:42and sound the alarm, and this happens in our nose.
00:47So our nose is filled with little cells that will identify those grains of pollen and then
00:54will release a ton of chemicals that will produce the symptoms that we experience.
01:01So it will dilate the blood vessels, and then we get the runny noses.
01:06It will make us itchy, and it will also increase the amount of mucus that is produced.
01:13So I start this time of year, about now, with a tablet.
01:17Then I graduate to some nose sprays, and in about a month I'm showing my license trying
01:22to get the behind-the-counter pseudoephedrine to try to try myself out so I'm not sniffling
01:26the whole time.
01:27I mean, what are some of the best medicines?
01:29What should you be doing if you really suffer from this?
01:31So a really good thing is to be well informed about the different types of medications and
01:36when it is best to take each of them.
01:38So you've mentioned the tablets, right?
01:41So those are antihistamines.
01:44And it is important because histamine is the main molecule produced by these cells of our
01:50immune system to give us the symptoms.
01:53However, these cells already have pre-produced histamine.
01:58It's ready to go.
01:59So the problem is that the moment that we get in touch with the pollen or with the allergen,
02:04it is, boom, and ready to go.
02:06So taking an antihistamine when the symptoms have already started is not going to do a lot,
02:14right?
02:15So it is better to take it before you know you are going to be exposed to the allergen.
02:20So say, for example, you've been invited to a picnic on this weekend and you know that
02:24there's going to be pollen around, then it's a good idea to take your antihistamine before
02:29you go out.
02:30Okay, before you start sneezing 37 times in a row.
02:33Exactly.
02:34Yes.
02:35Now, when we look at the medicines, because antihistamines, you know, there's the big
02:39brands we all know, and then they have different ingredients, can you possibly use two medicines
02:44at a time?
02:45Is there a benefit in doing that?
02:46Absolutely.
02:47Absolutely.
02:48Let's talk a little bit about the nasal sprays, right?
02:49There are different types of nasal sprays medication.
02:52There are some that are just saline solution, for example.
02:56They simply relieve the symptoms by washing away all of the mucus, right?
03:01You can combine that with a nasal spray that has something like a corticosteroid, and a
03:06corticosteroid is an anti-inflammatory.
03:08So what that is going to do is to basically tell the immune cells that are living in your
03:14nose, there's nothing to see here, go away, go home, right?
03:18So they will not have an immediate effect, but they rather have a long-lasting effect.
03:25So you can, you know, combine something that has that sort of immediate relief with something
03:30that is more sustained.
03:31And of course, you can always chat to your GP or your pharmacist to know which combinations
03:37can work best for you.
03:39Now, at this time of the year, I try to cut out other foods in my diet because I'm allergic
03:44to everything, and I find, I don't know if this is an old wives' tale, but if I don't
03:47have dairy and if I don't have too much wheat, then I'm usually not as bad.
03:51Am I imagining this?
03:52Is this some pseudoscience that just makes me feel better, or does it work?
03:55Yeah, probably.
03:56Not necessarily.
03:57Not necessarily.
03:58What you have touched is an important point, that those of us that do have, you know, the
04:04predisposition towards allergy, you know, will be easily triggered by not only Poland, but
04:10then...
04:11Easily triggered is a nice way to say that.
04:13Well, our immune system gets easily triggered.
04:15But yeah, that is correct, right?
04:18Your body is in this inflammatory mode, right?
04:21So everything that could trigger an allergy reaction will trigger the allergy reaction.
04:26Ah, this is so fascinating.
04:28And also, we've got to be taking out asthma preventers this time of year, or always, but you know,
04:32it can combine with hay fever, can't it?
04:34Yeah.
04:35Exactly.
04:36Let's talk about thunderstorm asthma particularly, because it's a very big issue here in Melbourne
04:40particularly.
04:42So what happens is that, you know, we have our grain of pollen, right?
04:45And it's normally quite chunky.
04:47In microscopic terms, it is quite, quite chunky.
04:50So what happens is that when we breathe it in, you know, it normally gets stuck in our
04:55nose.
04:56So the response to that is normally local.
04:59The hay fever symptoms that we have discussed.
05:01However, when the atmospheric conditions are just right or just wrong in this case, for
05:08example, there's a lot of moisture, humidity, then the pollen grain with absorbed water,
05:14it gets chunkier, and then it bursts.
05:17And all those tiny, tiny molecules get deeper in your lungs and can trigger asthma.
05:21It does not happen.
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