[Warning] High Pollen Triggering Heart Attacks

By Natalie Moore Posted April 14, 2017

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

“Achooo!”

If you haven’t already heard this sound countless times today, you certainly will in the coming weeks.

That’s because spring is about to be in full swing. And with it come runny noses, itchy eyes and, of course, endless sneezes.

But as it turns out, there’s more to worry about than running out of tissues as the pollen count climbs.

You see, Canadian researchers have recently discovered that a spike in the pollen count can trigger a serious heart attack.

And now is the perfect time to start taking precautions.

While it’s well-known that high pollen counts can lead to asthma attacks, scientists from McGill University and the University of Ottawa set out to see how this affects your heart.

For the study, researchers analyzed the medical records of nearly 18,000 heart attack patients who were admitted to the hospital during allergy season. Next, they searched for links between pollen counts and admission dates.

And what they found was astonishing…

Over the course of allergy season, which goes from March to October, heart attack risk was steadily higher.

What’s worse, when they looked at the highest pollen counts, which were in May, heart attack risk shot up 16 percent!

Just imagine what this could mean if you’re already having heart problems.

Experts believe allergies have negative effects on the heart because they kick your immune system into overdrive. The natural histamines your body produces to remove allergens increase inflammation in the body — the driver of all diseases, including heart attacks.

One natural way to lower histamines is with stinging nettle. One study shows that taking 300 mg of freeze-dried stinging nettle can be more effective than some allergy medications, due to its antihistamine properties.

You can find stinging nettle at natural health stores or through online retailers like Vitacost.com.

Live well,

Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily

Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.

Sources

^[1] Are hay fever sufferers at more risk of heart attack? Hospital admissions ‘rise by 16% during high pollen season’

^[2] Seasonal allergy sufferers beware of hidden heart attack threat

^[3]Stinging nettle

^[4] Natural Treatment of Perennial Allergic Rhinitis

Written By Natalie Moore

Natalie Moore is a dedicated health researcher with a passion for finding healthy, natural, and science-based solutions. After a decade of direct healthcare experience in western and natural medicine, she was involved in public health research before joining Living Well Daily.

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