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Old 30-05-2009, 11:08 AM posted to bionet.plants
michael angel michael angel is offline
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Default Oil Seed Rape - a non-specific allergen?

On May 29, 9:54*pm, Michael Bell wrote:
In message t
* * * * * Alison Forlong wrote:



I am a 45 year old female with no history of hayfever allergy, even
though I have previously lived in rural areas with high pollen load in
New Zealand. I shifted to Fance a month ago to a rural area where
there are fields of oil seed rape in flower, and am suffering hayfever
for the first time in my life. While I obviously cannot say with
absolute certainty that it is caused by the rape, it is interesting to
note that the other surrounding trees that are in flower are also
grown in New Zealand and I have never reacted to their pollen. I
thought I would add this information to the mix after reading the
comments by Sean disputing that oil seed rape starts new allergys in
previous non-sufferers. (The quote by Sean says "As an (extreme)
hayfever sufferer who works on rape seed, I can personally put paid to
the assertion (sometimes seen in the press) that oil seed rape is a
non-specific allergen..that increases suffering in ALL hay fever cases
and starts new ones in previous non-sufferers.") Also in the same
article, David Lonsdale says "Certainly for people working with
oilseed rape great care has to be taken, as an *allergenic response to
the pollen is easily developed." As hayfever is new for me, I do not
know much about it, and I was wondering if either David or anyone else
could tell me what steps are involved in this "great care" that is
taken, as I also would like to follow them. My email address is:
. Many thanks, Alison.


Hay fever can come and go. I first got hay fever when I was 58, it
started pretty severely in mid-May, went on very reliably for 10 years
and stopped just as suddenly this year, when I am 68. I never tracked
down the cause. I live in England

Michael Bell

PS
Some say your allergies change every 7 years.
Another Old wives Tale/Cure?
ma