All important terms at a glance

  • Air pollution

    there are spectulations that some plants produce pollen with higher allergic potency when exposed to air pollution. This means that trees standing beside a busy street may produce more "dangerous" pollen than trees growing in the countryside. It is yet an unsolved question why this happens.

  • Allergen

    pollen allergens are biological molecules (proteins), which reveal certain "epitopes" - places which have a key function - on their surface. What they really are, who they are and why, is still an unsolved question. The biological sense of pollen allergens is in the sense of a business card to exchange information between male and female parts of the plant.

  • Allergenic potency

    some pollen allergens (grass pollen allergens, ragweed, or birch allergens) are commonly recognised by the human immuno system, others are of minor interest for our immuno system (e.g. nettle pollen). The reason is unknown.

  • Allergy

    a malfunction of the immuno system, which leads to overproduction of antibodies.

  • alternative medicine

    Alternative methods for allergy treatment are generally not doing well. Homeopathic preparations mostly flop after short time, bio-resonance is too odd to be accepted by serious scientists, various infusions, oils, or tinctures could also not compete in effort with antiallergic drugs. Maybe some kind of success may be allotted to fennel flower seed extracts (Nigella oil).
    Secured scientific studies about the performance of alternative methods in allergy treatment are missing.
    If there were suitable alternatives on hand in pharmacies, health food stores, or drug stores, be sure they would have been strongly advertised or at least circulated as "top secrets" among hay fever sufferers.
    Although one or the other weird preparation might bring some slight relief, you never may expect a cure of your allergy. This applies also for acupuncture, which is a suitable method to reduce symptoms, but is not qualified for curing allergy.
    However: "who heals, is in the right".

  • Anamnesis

    the exploration of history and backgrounds of a disease.

  • anaphylactic shock

  • Antibody

    biological molecule produced by the immuno system to defend allergens (proteins which do not belong to the individual's body).

  • antigenes

    substances that activate the specific immune defense

  • Asthma

    in terms of allergic diseases, asthma is considered to be any trouble with breathing. Exhalation is more difficult. Severe asthma attacks may be lethal.

  • atopy

    connated readiness to develop allergic reactions of Type I (immediate reaction)

to the top