Managing Hay Fever

The pollen and allergies podcast

Discover practical ways to manage hay fever and explore if immunotherapy could work for you.

In this episode, Dr Joel Ten is joined again by allergy specialist Prof Sheryl van Nunen OAM to dive into the practical side of hay fever management. Dr Ten, a community GP with a passion for respiratory health, and Prof van Nunen, a leading allergist with decades of experience, discuss the key steps to minimising hay fever symptoms. From understanding common triggers to optimising your home environment and knowing when to seek professional help, they share actionable advice to improve quality of life during pollen season.

The episode emphasises the importance of planning ahead, highlighting the “priming effect” and offering advice on how to prepare in the lead-up to high pollen days. Prof van Nunen explains the benefits and costs of immunotherapy, a targeted treatment for severe hay fever sufferers, and explores its process, success rates, and options available in Australia, including convenient sublingual therapies. The conversation also sheds light on ways to protect children during pollen season, especially for students affected during critical exam periods.

If you’re wondering about the best approach to treating your hay fever, tune in to gain insights into effective treatments and learn when immunotherapy might be the right step for you.

Visit PollenForecast.com.au to check local pollen levels and find more resources at the National Asthma Council Sensitive Choice website sensitivechoice.com.

~~Meet the Speakers~~

Dr Joel Ten

Dr Joel Ten is a general practitioner with over 15 years of clinical experience in both hospital and clinic work. Joel is actively involved in educating both people in the community and healthcare professionals. He has worked in a number of areas including emergency medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics, paediatrics, internal medicine, rehabilitation and general practice. He is a member of the GP Advisory Group and a regular spokesperson for the National Asthma Council.

Prof Sheryl van Nunen OAM FRSN

Prof Sheryl van Nunen is a clinician and medical educator and also a National Asthma Council board member. Sheryl is a consultant physician in allergic diseases at Northern Beaches Hospital and a Senior Advisor, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Center at Vinmec International Hospital in Vietnam. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Clinical Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health (University of Sydney) and the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences (Macquarie University).