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How the bark of an old tree can beat allergies
3 June 2005
I never learn.
Over the bank holiday weekend we made the short trip up into the countryside to see friends, to walk the dog, and to get some fresh air into our lungs.
And it wasn't long before my eyes were itching and the sneezing started. It always catches me by surprise.
You see, I never used to get hay fever. I remember sitting outside on school field trips, looking at friends with red eyes and streaming noses and finding it quite funny...
Not anymore (though the kids find it HILARIOUS).
For the past four years or so I've started suffering from hay fever. The trouble is, it's not just the open green spaces that trigger an attack...
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Hay fever in the concrete jungle
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These days people still seem to suffer from hay fever symptoms no matter where they are. In offices and shopping centres and busy city streets up and down the country, there's an orchestra of sneezing and sniffling (my wife tells me I sound like a tuba!).
And, as per usual, it seems the blame lies at the feet of big business.
Scientists believe that the increase in air pollutants over the years - from car exhaust to factories to smoking to man-made fibres - have made the lungs weaker.
Which means they just can't fight back against allergens and viruses like they used to.
'We've known that diesel exhaust particles worsen symptoms in individuals who respond to allergens, such as pollen, but this study suggests a direct way that pollution could be triggering allergies and asthma in a large number of susceptible individuals,' says Frank D. Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School.
And we're not just under attack when we're outside.
Cat hairs, dust mites, and a common fungus called Alternaria can trigger attacks inside the home too.
But there are steps you can take to protect yourself:
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- Try using special non-allergenic covers for pillows and mattresses.
- Wash all bedding in hot water weekly. This can reduce asthma symptoms of children with mite allergen.
- Get more exercise! A healthier lifestyle increases the capacity of the lungs to fight through these attacks.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat plenty of fatty fish or flaxseeds.
And here's another potential remedy that I like the sound of...
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How a ninety year old lady discovered a 'miracle cure'
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Jerry Yamoa's grandmother was a very wise lady.
There wasn't a thing she didn't know about the roots, plants and trees in their area, and people from far and wide came to see her for potions and remedies that she'd mix up.
Come summertime, there was a long line of people who used to queue up outside his grandmother's house in Ghana.
They'd stand there patiently, sneezing and spluttering, all waiting to be handed a special powder that his grandmother made.
When he grew up, Jerry moved to South London and worked for the post office.
Every summer he noticed how many of his workmates suffered from hayfever, and he remembered his grandmother's cure.
So the next time he visited friends and family back in Ghana, he pleaded with her to divulge her secret remedy. At first she refused, but after much nagging she led him through the forest and showed him the bark of a particularly tree - the rare Funtumia Elastica tree, and showed him how to make the remedy.
When he returned to London, he gave his long-suffering workmates at the Nine Elms postal sorting office the powder... and it worked for an amazing 90% of them!
This natural extract is causing real excitement as a natural treatment, with some users even claiming a full cure for their Asthma or Hayfever.
No one seems to know how it actually works, but the results seem astonishing - and as with all the best remedies there are no side effects.
This remedy is called Yamoa, and I'm definitely going to give it a try. You can either use me as your guinea pig, or give it a go yourself. Just remember to run it past your doctor first.
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Special warning for diabetics...
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New research shows that the higher levels of air pollution we're all under attack from put people with diabetes at risk from cardiovascular problems.
I won't go into the study here. It's so complex and full of jargon it's almost given me a nosebleed just trying to read it.
But the upshot is this: diabetics cardiovascular functions were 11-13% poorer when high levels of pollutants were present in the air.
So it's yet another reason to take the threat of air pollution seriously, and do something about it - especially for the elderly and people with chronic health problems such as diabetes.
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Another gold medal for fish
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I know, I know... I can't stop going on about them! But here's another great reason to eat fish...
A study from Denmark shows that women who don't eat fish during pregnancy are at increased risk of delivering their babies early, which increases the risk that the baby will be born small and will have a pretty rough ride in its early days.
But what if you don't like fish?
Just tuck into whole grains such as wheat, soybeans, flaxseeds - all loaded with vital omega-3 oils that will help with the pregnancy.
So if you're a soon-to-be-Mum, chat about this with your doctor.
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Why you should get the corkscrew out!
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You know me.
As soon as I discover ANYTHING that says wine is good for you, I'll tell you about it.
Well new research suggests that key ingredients in both red wine and olive oil can significantly increase the lifespan of yeast.
'Yeast? What's that got to do with me?'
Apparently yeast and humans share many genes, so scientists are speculating that these key ingredients may have the same effect in people.
(So that's why I like a pint... we're practically related!)
Scientists from Harvard Medical School and Biomol research laboratory in Philadelphia have identified resveratrol as the key ingredient in red wine.
It gives red wine its anti-cancer and anti-heart disease properties, and it was found to extend the life of some yeast cells by as much as 70%.
And quercetin, which is abundant in olive oil, has a similar effect.
So raise a glass, live longer, and live well!
Till next week,
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Goodlife Letter
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