Please stop and read this if you have hay fever

***Written October 2024 - This was my first pitch I sent to The Conversation. My former PhD supervisor and mentor Dwan Price came to me with this idea and we collaborated on it over a month. While it was ultimately rejected by the editors, this piece resulted in two amazing outcomes: 1) I posted it on my LinkedIn page and it got picked up by Guardian Australia for a news column on misinformation, and 2) The Conversation editors reached out to me a few weeks later with an invitation to write my own article about thunderstorm asthma.

As most of us are aware, there has been a rise in misinformation & false claims surrounding alternative treatments. This affects many areas of science & healthcare, including hay fever. As our pollen seasons worsen, Australians that are struggling with managing their allergies are starting to look for new options.

One alternative treatment that myself & colleagues have noticed being heavily pushed is honey. Some Australian businesses have been adversiting their honey products online, primarily on social media, as a hay fever remedy (see image below). Sellers will claim that because their honey is "local" or "raw", it contains high amounts of pollen that can help relieve symptoms through desensitisation.

But does it actually work?

In Australia, honey tends to be produced by honeybees that collect nectar from native flowers. They pick up the pollen from these flowers which then ends up in harvested honey. However, this pollen poses few issues to hay fever sufferers as it rarely causes allergic reactions.

The pollen that actually causes hay fever in Australia mostly comes from grass. Since grass doesn’t produce nectar, honeybees will ignore it in favour of flowers, which means that little to no grass pollen ever ends up in honey produced across Australia. Eating local or raw honey will not desensitise you to the pollen that actually triggers your allergies so eating it will probably not improve your symptoms.

But what does the science say?

There is no credible evidence that eating honey will improve hay fever symptoms. Extensive systematic reviews on past literature found many discrepancies & inconsistencies regarding using honey to treat hay fever and there was inadequate evidence that it could be an effective remedy. The few papers claiming otherwise had contradictory results, limitations in their experimentation, and poor quality of evidence.

But why is this a problem?

Some honey sellers are encouraging customers to stop taking their allergy medication as their products will "cure" your hay fever or let you stay “antihistamine free”. Dangerous claims like this can put hay fever sufferers at risk of thunderstorm asthma. This condition is triggered by high levels of pollen during storms and it can cause hay fever sufferers to have asthma attacks, even if they've never been asthmatic. The worst ever thunderstorm asthma event in Australia caused over 10,000 people to be hospitalised and 10 deaths; 87% of those affected had hay fever.

As we get further into spring, it’s important that people with hay fever know how to properly manage their symptoms as pollen levels rise across Australia and the risk of thunderstorm asthma looms around the corner. If you're struggling to keep your allergies under control, speak to your GP or pharmacist and avoid alternative treatment claims online. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Please share this to stop the spread of misinformation.

Why is my hay fever so bad already? What am I in for this year?

***Written October 2025 - Last year I was invited to write this piece for The Conversation. Unfortunately, after submitting it to the editor and final changes made, I was told the piece was cancelled as I was no longer working in academia. After failed attempts to get it published elsewhere, it stayed on my desktop for months. I do not want it to go to waste so here it is, enjoy!

Walking to work recently, I suddenly came down with a terrible sneezing fit. It was a warm, windy day and I was already struggling before I reached my office. That's when I knew the hay fever season had begun. Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is an allergic reaction to airborne particles such as pollen that affects almost one in four Australians. When inhaled, your body mistakes pollen as dangerous and tries to get rid of it. You produce excess mucous to block your airways or start sneezing to force it out your nose before it gets too deep. This overreaction can also [cause]a runny or stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes, mouth breathing, snoring and the need to clear your throat. Severe hay fever can also cause headaches, difficulty concentrating and interrupted sleep. While most people with hay fever start developing symptoms during childhood, you can get it any point in your life – including if you move to a new place or even a new country

Wind makes hay fever worse. When we think of pollen, most people associate it with bees or other pollinators. However, most allergenic pollen come from grasses, trees or weeds that rely on the wind to travel. These pollens are tiny and can travel hundreds of kilometres. Because wind is random and very unreliable, plants will produce a lot of pollen to maximise their chances of reproducing. A single plant could release billions of pollen grains throughout the season. Instead of finding another plant, some of this pollen will end its journey in our noses. Windy weather and high pollen counts in some parts of the country could mean symptoms are worse than usual for the start of the hay fever season.

A wet early spring means more pollen. As we get deeper into the pollen season, it is looking to be a more severe season that usual. Forecasts for Victoria, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory, for example, predict a more active pollen season this year than last year due to a wet spring. More rain means more plants and more pollen. As the weather heats up across the country, with warmer, windy days. These are perfect conditions for pollen to spread. Plants love hot, dry days because they can release all their pollen without it being washed out by rain. Climate change has meant that over time, hay fever seasons have become longer and more severe in many regions. Canberra has reported a 200% increase in pollen levels over a decade. Melbourne's hay fever seasons are starting earlier in October than previously, and lasting longer into Summer. Sydney's hay fever season now starts in September, with concentrations of pollen rising 34% over a decade, particularly for ryegrass. There is also an increased risk this year of severe thunderstorms , which could cause thunderstorm asthma. This can cause life-threatening breathing difficulties in those who hay fever, even if they have never experienced asthma? Even bushfires, which produce hazardous smoke, can worsen hay fever symptoms by triggering inflammation in the eyes and airways.

What can you do about it? While it's almost impossible to completely avoid pollen, there are things you can do to reduce your hay fever symptoms. Pollen forecasting sites are available for many Australian capital cities, which include daily updates on pollen levels. If you know which pollen triggers your hay fever, you can check pollen calendars with state breakdowns? to know which months you should watch out for every year.However, cross-reactivity between different types of related pollen may mean you have multiple triggers. So if you're allergic to one type of grass pollen – ryegrass, for example – your hay fever may also be triggered by pollen Bermuda or Timothy grass. On warm windy days, spend less time outdoors and make sure to close all doors and windows. This will help reduce your exposure to the pollen outside and prevent it from making its way into your home. While this time of year is great for drying your laundry in the sun, avoid hanging your washing out on windy days or they could become covered in pollen. Washing clothes or bedsheets in hot water that’s at least 60°C is the best way to FJW:  disable, denature or destroy? – which is most appropriate here? pollen. Medicationscan also help manage symptoms. Antihistamines relieve general hay fever symptoms, while nasal sprays or eye drops target symptoms in specific areas.As an extra layer of protection, wearing face masks on high pollen days can also help reduce your hay fever symptoms. If you can't get your symptoms under control with over-the-counter medications, see your GP to discuss your other options.