HEALTH AND BEAUTY ARCHIVE: 538: Pool party Keep your cool this summer with a visit to one of Tokyo’s many pools. Metropolis shows you where to take the plunge. 536: Don't sweat it With the hot and humid months upon us, Cristy Burne share some tips on staying cool. 534: Swept away Put away your broomsticks—all you really need to soar through the clouds is an armful of nylon and a good gust. Cristy Burne checks out the air up there. 532: Tee time Can’t keep it on the fairway? The ‘yips’ invaded your game? Rob Smaal finds a few experienced golf pros who can work out your kinks on the links. 530: Balancing act An ancient science is helping modern men and women find peace, health and the always elusive “balance.” Tama M. Lung takes a closer look at ayurveda. 528: Kicking on Former K-1 Japan champion Nicholas Pettas shares his love of martial arts at the new Spirit Gym in Nogizaka. Chris Betros goes along to watch. 526: On call A revolutionary daily disease self-management system is making life easier for diabetics. Chris Betros finds out about Lifewatcher. 524: Team spirit From rugby to roller hockey, Tokyo is teeming with sports clubs for the expat athlete. Rob Smaal shows you how to get in the game. 522: Type casting Second-generation blood-type expert Toshitaka Nomi looks at the links between blood classifications and health. Mick Corliss reports. 520: Like a rock Climbing instructor Luke Kearns gets a grip on Tokyo's best indoor climbing gyms. 516: The personal touch Madonna and Matsui aren't the only ones who need help staying fit. Hanna Kite pumps it up with the top personal trainers in Tokyo. 514: From here to maternity Kavitha Rao turns to a handful of Tokyo experts to track down baby basics for nervous expat mothers-to-be. 502: Tour de Morton, part deux Don Morton gets back on two wheels for a leisurely ride out toward Haneda Airport. ISSUES 499- ISSUES 449- ISSUES 399- ISSUES 349- ISSUES 299-

The big sneeze

It’s that time of year again: You can’t stop sneezing, you have a runny nose, and your eyes itch. Cathy Frances sniffs out what you can do about hay fever this season.

Two joggers in a park in Saitama wearing hay fever masks

One in five people reading this will suffer from hay fever this year, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, as pollen counts are predicted to rise for the fourth year in a row. If you are the unlucky “one,” you will no doubt have many questions, like why me? How can I stop my nose running? And where the hell are the 20,000 tons of airborne pollen coming from?

“It actually has nothing to do with hay or fevers,” says Akiko Shiraishi, who writes for many Japanese magazines about culture and food. “The main cause of seasonal kafun-sho—literally, pollen symptoms—is the Japanese cedar sugi and cypress, hinoki trees.” The Japan Weather Association says these trees cover 15 percent of the Kanto plain. But hay fever was unheard of in Japan until 40 years ago. People and pollen have peacefully coexisted for centuries. Why the sudden problem?

Blame the forests
“After the war many forests were cut down to rebuild cities,” Shiraishi explains. “To comply with government reforestation policy, most hillsides were replanted with cedar trees because they grow quickly, look beautiful and the timber is suitable for building houses and shrines. Unfortunately, no one foresaw the side effects.”

Hay fever remedies on display at Super-Drug D-Fit

Research in Sweden, Italy and Spain has found that hay fever prevalence is worse in urban areas, although the pollen count is actually lower than the countryside. In Japan, the highest incidences are found in people living near busy roads, implicating vehicle exhaust, which is not so surprising, since nitrogen and sulfur dioxide are known nose and airway irritants, and diesel fumes a common allergen.

There is a general tendency for allergies to be hereditary, but not necessarily the same allergens. American research has shown that smoking during pregnancy increases allergies in offspring, although breast-feeding can apparently counteract the effects. Although allergies are indiscriminate—even cattle can suffer hay fever—hypersensitivity seems to be related to continued exposure, according to the Allergy Center of Japan (www.allergycentre.com). Potential allergens range from house and dust mites, pets and molds to paint, soap, tobacco smoke and photocopiers. For many, exposure to spring pollen proves to be the final straw, and full-blown allergy symptoms break out. Data suggests this is particularly a problem for women in their 30s and 40s.

So if pollen is your allergy symptom trigger, what can you do about it, since staying indoors isn’t really a viable solution? With a reported potential market of a billion yen, hay fever remedies are literally falling out of the closet, with department stores and pharmacies across the city setting up hay fever remedy displays in their prime ground-floor locations.

Cure-all
Let’s start with the traditional Japanese method: the ER look. If George Clooney can look cool in a mask, so can you. Winner of this year’s mask design is undoubtedly the Ultra cubic mask. Uni-Charm Corp, better known for producing diapers and sanitary goods, has produced a high-ventilation mask from unwoven cloth, which fits tightly around the face without crushing the nose. Retailing at ¥500 for 15 masks, it’s a bit more expensive than other masks you see on people (compare 60 for ¥780). However, they seem more likely to stop pollen sneaking around the edges.

The new Uni-Charm mask

You may want to invest in pollen glasses: enormous plastic spectacles, nay goggles, with protective side panels, from ¥1,500 to ¥3,800. If you already wear glasses, you can buy attractive black, slip-on side covers for ¥500 (available at all branches of Tokyu Hands). Other products available from most pharmacies for symptom relief include nose sprays, from ¥600; “Breathe right cool type” nose strips (regular or large size; eight strips for ¥650); nose and throat sheets, for relief while you sleep (four sheets for ¥380); plus a wide array of eye drops and washes starting at ¥500. SS Seiyaku has produced ultra-soft lotion tissues that are gentle on the nose and given away free with many kafun-sho products in Super-Drug D-Fit.

Antihistamine drugs can effectively control a runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and a sore throat by blocking the action of histamines—the main cause of hay fever symptoms. On the downside, they tend to cause drowsiness, which could explain the results of a recent Gallup Poll that estimated a “25 percent job efficiency loss, directly attributable to hay fever symptoms.” One brand that claims not to cause drowsiness is Syouseiryuutou (¥980 for 10 tablets—about three days’ supply).

Nature’s way
Dr Seino Aono of the Nihonbashi Kakigaramachi Clinic (03-5651-1361) suggests drinking sugi tea, which is like self-induced allergy shots, to build up pollen resistance. Like many drugs, the ingredients also reduce the production of histamine, but without the sleepy side effects. To make your own, simply boil 200g of clean sugi leaves in one liter of water; turn off the heat and soak for two hours. Reheat to drink. Tokyu Hands sells ready-prepared sugi tea bags (10 for ¥2,000) and capsules (100 for ¥6,000).

Hanamizuki restaurant in Kanumashi, Tochigi Prefecture, has developed sugi soba (for ¥1,000), which they claim is effective against hay fever. If you can’t visit the restaurant in person, call them at 0289-76-2042 and ask for Ms Yoshie Teranushi, who says the restaurant is happy to ship fresh soba.

While sugi tea and soba offer some relief, lasers may offer a long-term cure. When pollen grains hit the moist surface 4-5cm inside the nose and burst, allergy-causing proteins are released. Treating the sensitive mucus membranes inside the nose with lasers, (a procedure taking 30-60 minutes) causes the tissue to harden, reducing sensitivity and stopping the nose from running. Dr Yoshihiro Koseki, from Jingumae Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, who himself suffers from hay fever, explains: “The treatment, which takes no longer than 30 minutes, can result in one to three years without complications. Out of 108 laser treatment cases, 62 percent of our patients reported almost total recovery and a further 26 percent only felt discomfort on high pollen count days. We use a CO2 laser, so there is no pain or bleeding.” The clinic is located at 6-1-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3400-3022. The laser procedure costs about ¥7,750 and is partly covered by health insurance.

Note that laser treatment is not appropriate for all patients. For example, pregnant women, or people who are allergic to anesthetic, have a tendency to hemorrhage. It’s also not recommended for anyone diagnosed with a serious disease, like cancer or anemia.

“Acupuncture and moxa are extremely effective for relieving hay fever symptoms, and much better for the body than medicines,” says Michiko Saito from Michi Acupuncture Clinic in Tokyo. Needles are inserted into soft tissue around the eyes and nose, providing instant relief. “The treatment takes about one hour and should be continued once or twice a week throughout the hay fever season,” says Saito. One session, which unfortunately isn’t covered by insurance, costs ¥5,000. The clinic is located at Wakabayashi 1-41-12, Setagaya-ku. Tel: 03-5481-6398.

Grim statistics
The daily pollen count is calculated using a silicon-coated electric rod placed on high buildings at strategic locations. The different pollen grains per cubic meter of air are counted and averaged over 24 hours. As a rule of thumb, tree pollen counts tend to be higher between 5–10am and on warm, dry, breezy days. Pollen levels under 10 usually pose no problem; 60 and above may provoke symptoms in sensitive individuals; in the hundreds the number of sufferers and severity of symptoms soar. The results are available daily on the Japanese website www.metro.tokyo.jp/LIVING/KAFUN. Or you can call the Tokyo Kafunsho Information Service at 03-5272-1187.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Forestry Experiment Station is currently injecting trees—rather than people—in an attempt to cut pollen production. They predict it should be possible to reduce the number of male flowers (which produce pollen) by 96 percent injecting the trees with Maleic hydrazide, effectively reducing germination. They have also introduced a policy of planting different species of cedar, like Nishitama No. 2, that produces 70 percent less pollen. In the meantime, hay fever sufferers could consider moving to Okinawa or Hokkaido, where the pollen count is negligible. Or try one of Shiraishi’s old wives recipes, like umeninnikunegi: ume-boshi pickled plum, garlic and leek soup or garlic soup with egg and onion—quite possibly proving that sometimes the cure is worse than the complaint.

Photos by Cathy Frances