Allergies in Taiwan

Life Health & Fitness
1

Are many people affected by allergies here in Taiwan.

Last winter and this winter, both times I got what I thought was a common cold, felt like crap for 2-4 days. The cold part when away after the first week (headachy, lots of green yucky congestion, itchy throat, but no fever or swollen glands or anything like that) but then I was left with two symptoms that drag on and on and on…mainly lost of post-nasal drip which causes lots of coughing and then what feels like fluid in the middle ear (although the docs say my ears look clear and fine when they look in). Also on and off headaches but those are tied more to the constant coughing.

I can still function, but one feels like crap. I don’t smoke, no coffee. I’ve been to two doctors, both tried me on antibiotics but then when it doesn’t clear up they’ve started to say it is allergic tinnitis. When I look it up on the internet, the symptoms kind of match up, but then these kinds of symptoms match up for basically every sickness possible. I’ve never been one to suffer from allergies, this has only started since I came to Taiwan though and only after I get a cold. I live in the south and have lived in WAY more polluted places than here, so I am pretty sure it is not pollution.

Any fellow sufferers out there and any suggestions? I’m now taking antihistamines and nasal steriods, doc says it will take a month before we know if they work…

2

Yupp, had the same crap pretty much every winter since I moved here, minus the ear problem and it takes forever to clear up and no-one can tell me what’s going on. This last time around I even went to the hospital for a chest x-ray, nothing. Got some meds, been taking them for two weeks, no change…
Never had this kind of crap before and every time I think it’s just a cold, but it doesn’t go away, no matter what meds they put me on.
Used to have pollen allergy something bad back home and in the UK when I lived there, but that’s at least only for a short time every year and there are meds to remove most of the symptoms from that. This crap, I don’t know what it is and it doesn’t seem curable… :frowning:

3

Zyrtec, one before bed.

Doctor at big hospital can make a test to pinpoint problem -maybe there is a mold colony unseen in your apartment/workplace- and find a suitable pill.

4

I have similar issues, but it only occurs at home, and it only started after we got a long haired cat. I’ve had long haired cats in Canada before with no problem, but here I have asthma in the winter and only at home (esp. at night). I’m on some type of inhaler now that seems to control it though.

Does your condition occur everywhere or only at home? If so, it may be a reaction to something specific in the house like an animal, mold colony etc.

5

Your body has to adjust to the specific germs/ molds and what not found in Taiwan.

Many people get sick for a bit until they make antibodies.

6

[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Yupp, had the same crap pretty much every winter since I moved here, minus the ear problem and it takes forever to clear up and no-one can tell me what’s going on. This last time around I even went to the hospital for a chest x-ray, nothing. Got some meds, been taking them for two weeks, no change…
Never had this kind of crap before and every time I think it’s just a cold, but it doesn’t go away, no matter what meds they put me on. Used to have pollen allergy something bad back home and in the UK when I lived there, but that’s at least only for a short time every year and there are meds to remove most of the symptoms from that. This crap, I don’t know what it is and it doesn’t seem curable… :frowning:[/quote]
I seem to be getting this every winter now too. Post-nasal drip for months on end. Clear mucus, no fever. I’m going with the allergy theory. They have me on Levozine® and Pulmicort® spray. Also Nasonex™. They seem to help but they’re not a miracle cure.

I wonder if its some pollen that comes out in the winter, or some mold. I’ve moved and changed mattress and pillows, so maybe its not a mold. It must be some pollen.

7

I had the same problem starting after 7 years of living here in Taiwan.
About three years ago I went through a daily routine of swimming at Alexander health club. After six month or so I started having cold symptoms which then never went away.
Getting worse during winter and almost disappearing in spring and Summer. I went to NTU several times and got treated with antibiotics unsuccessfully. I then started taking antihistamines which caused me to have an episode of http://www.retinaeyecenter.com/csc.htm CSCR.
Last year, however, I had a very bad fish allergy. After four days of suffering blisters all over my body I went to the hospital for treatment. I told the doctor that I could not take any steroids so he prescribed something different to get rid of my skin-rashes. The result was that not only the symptoms from the fish poisoning disappeared. My sneezing and ugly discharges went away as well.
I made it a habit to mob my classroom twice a week around the same time, though.
Also when my allergy started the first time, I noticed people all over the city sneezing all the time. At the same time where the government decided to ad bio-fuels to the gas-mix.

8

It is very common to get allergies in Taiwan even when you do not have issues in other countries. This is not unique to Taiwan, Japan is also notorious. The suspicion is that it is to do with Willow trees but this has not been proven to me.

We (my wife and I) both found Clarinase to be the most effective antihistamine and it is relatively cheap and freely available in Taiwan. Most cold medicines also contain an antihistamine and will help. I suspect that the fish allergy sufferer benefited from antihistamines in the fish allergy treatment?

You may or may not adapt to the Taiwanese environment - we found after a couple of years back in Taiwan my wife’s reaction improved but I never really solved it.

Good luck.

9

Pollution is something that is cumulative though isn’t it? What your body can handle in the way of toxins and irritants changes as you age and your immune system probably degenerates somewhat.
After eight years of living in my home area, with no problems at all, I developed terrible rhinitis and acnea rosacea from some irritant, I think in the native bush. Alcohol, bread, and any yeast products exacerbated the condition. I moved to Asia, no more problem. I could even eat bread and drink wine again!
Every time I go home, it comes back. :unamused:

10

[quote=“taiwanbound”]Are many people affected by allergies here in Taiwan.

Last winter and this winter, both times I got what I thought was a common cold, felt like crap for 2-4 days. The cold part when away after the first week (headachy, lots of green yucky congestion, itchy throat, but no fever or swollen glands or anything like that) but then I was left with two symptoms that drag on and on and on…mainly lost of post-nasal drip which causes lots of coughing and then what feels like fluid in the middle ear (although the docs say my ears look clear and fine when they look in). Also on and off headaches but those are tied more to the constant coughing.

I can still function, but one feels like crap. I don’t smoke, no coffee. I’ve been to two doctors, both tried me on antibiotics but then when it doesn’t clear up they’ve started to say it is allergic tinnitis. When I look it up on the internet, the symptoms kind of match up, but then these kinds of symptoms match up for basically every sickness possible. I’ve never been one to suffer from allergies, this has only started since I came to Taiwan though and only after I get a cold. I live in the south and have lived in WAY more polluted places than here, so I am pretty sure it is not pollution.

Any fellow sufferers out there and any suggestions? I’m now taking antihistamines and nasal steriods, doc says it will take a month before we know if they work…[/quote]

Ok I had pretty much the same problem, red eyes, blocked nose and an especially severe post-nasal drip that wouldn’t go away. I also believe it was exacerbated/caused by a cold at the start. I also went to various doctors eventually getting it diagnosed as an allergy but not much worked. Post-nasal drip sounds like nothing until my throat swelled up and I could hardly swallow! I also never experienced such symptoms before but I had other symptoms that I have since realised are other types of allergy reactions (sneezing/itchy skin) before I came to Taiwan. I believe the presence of so many allergens in Taiwan can set off people who are prone to allergies…unfortunately then you are sensitised for life probably. My wife and I lived in a place that had been flooded/leaky walls and probably loads of fungal spores. Now we both sneeze way more than the average person even though before she hardly sneezed at all. We are sensitised. The theory is the IgG levels get permanently set to a higher level for some irritants aften an episode of sensitisation, it is not a disease of aging as many allergy suffers allergies lessen with age. There may indeed be a cumulative components as many people who mention it here didn’t get it for the first few years, alternatively it could be that living here longer means you eventually bump into a particularly bad dose of …something!

  1. Taipei is very damp, the dampness seems to make things worse probably from spore/fungus growth. A lot of the old houses in Taipei are rotting away and full of spores. You need to move if you are in one of those places or else find a way to dry out the place completely before you move…anyway you will have to move to a newer place or drier place to help fix this.

  2. Get the right brand of antihistamine. The ones I was prescribed previously before didn’t work. I eventually got this one recommended…works well anytime I feel sneezy/allergy coming on- Zyrtec from Glaxo. You can take one everyday, works pretty well to dampen down the symptoms.

  3. Think about moving out of Taipei or into the mountains. The air quality is bad mixed with the damp. You are probably sensitised now and there may other pollutants/allergans setting you off…one idea is definitely to move somewhere drier with fresher air. Since I moved to Miaoli or Taichung and live in a new building I’ve not once suffered red eyes or post-nasal drip. Taichung’s air is not clean but it is dry.

  4. Iron your clothes or put them in a closet with a bag that sucks up all the water . You may notice lots of clothes smell musty in Taiwan, these definitely contain allergans.

  5. Change your pillows to anti-mite types and throw out old bedclothes especially feather duvets.

  6. Don’t ride a scooter unless you have to.

  7. Don’t drink coffee or alcohol or very cold drinks for a while, it makes things worse.

As for the steroids, I wouldn’t too hopeful on using that, it’s the overall air pollution in Taiwan and then mixed with fungal spores, people living in old houses and the dampness. Seemingly allergy rates among children in Taiwan is one of the highest in the world. There are lot of theories…the mould, cockroach droppings, human skin, pollen, vehicle exhaust…the list goes on! Use the antihistamines and reduce your exposure!

11

[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Yupp, had the same crap pretty much every winter since I moved here, minus the ear problem and it takes forever to clear up and no-one can tell me what’s going on. This last time around I even went to the hospital for a chest x-ray, nothing. Got some meds, been taking them for two weeks, no change…
Never had this kind of crap before and every time I think it’s just a cold, but it doesn’t go away, no matter what meds they put me on.
Used to have pollen allergy something bad back home and in the UK when I lived there, but that’s at least only for a short time every year and there are meds to remove most of the symptoms from that. This crap, I don’t know what it is and it doesn’t seem curable… :frowning:[/quote]

Try Zyrtec or some other anti-histamine, one a day, see if that helps.

12

A picture speaks a 1000 words

Taipei

Taichung


Taichung Coal-Fired Power Plant – Lung-Ching, TaiwanThe 4130-megawatt Taichung power station is the world’s biggest CO2 emitter, with over 40 million tons produced in 2008. The CO2 emissions of the Taichung project roughly corresponds to the CO2 emissions of Switzerland.

Kaoshiung

13

I’m mildly allergic to lots of things: cat dander, dustmite sh*t, mold, grass seed etc.

I’m also allergic to Taipei City. I work on Nanjing E Rd and often have bad allergy symptoms during the week(nasal/sinus congestion, rashes on my face and itchiness/redness on the roof of my mouth).

They tend to go away over the weekend as I live in Danshui where, barring a dust storm from China, the air is great.
The symptoms tend to resume when I go back to work, although I dont have them all the time. Chinese herbal medicine seems to help too.

When I moved from Sanxia to Jingmei for a few months two years ago my immune system took a spectacular nose-dive. I had tonsilitis regulary and once had such bad complications (a Job-esque plague of ulcers on the soft-tissue in the back of my mouth) that the doctor asked if I’d had an HIV test recently(!).

No, I dont have HIV, Taipei City is just a polluted hell hole and not a fun place for people who already have allergies. :raspberry:

So anyway, between living in Danshui and taking TCM on occasion, I havent had to use antibiotics in like 2 years! Yay for health!

14

OMG, I am dying here. Last night, after cleaning my room, I had the bright idea of turning the mattress over. Big mistake. I started sneezing, which is not unusual after cleaning, but then it turned into a nightmare. I decided to go to bed early. Bigger mistake. I couldn’t breathe, and sneezed myself non stop. I had some Allegra, took one, and no cigar, kept on sneezing…

Now I am at work, big headache, stuffed, clown nose and all. Kill me, please. Spare me this misery. And spring is just beginning…

15

I grew up on TAiwan and my body took years to adapting to living in California !!

I had many of the problems you guys have over there.

16

I’m with HeadhonchoII: It’s the pollution.

I read something back when I lived in Taipei about the number of locals with asthma. The article suggested swimming and it really did help clear up some of the problems I was having. When you’re swimming, you are using your lungs a great deal and the vapors from the water (you’re breathing in highly oxygenated air) helps loosen up that thick, gummy mucus deep in your lungs.

If swimming isn’t your thing, then you have to get into the mountains every few weeks if not every weekend. Take the bus up to YangMing Shan or XinDian and spend the afternoon at a tea house or hiking or whatever. (My advice, anyway.)

17

BTW, I got a new prescription: Xyzal. Same as Xyrtec but more expensive. :smiley: Has anyone tried it?

18

[quote=“Icon”]OMG, I am dying here. Last night, after cleaning my room, I had the bright idea of turning the mattress over. Big mistake. I started sneezing, which is not unusual after cleaning, but then it turned into a nightmare. I decided to go to bed early. Bigger mistake. I couldn’t breathe, and sneezed myself non stop. I had some Allegra, took one, and no cigar, kept on sneezing…

Now I am at work, big headache, stuffed, clown nose and all. Kill me, please. Spare me this misery. And spring is just beginning…[/quote]

Hi

You’ve got an allergy to dust mites. That’s why you went into overdrive when you turned your mattress over. You need to stip your bed and vaccuum your mattress and pillows, and around your house (or get someone else to do this as it’ll set you off again the first time). Then turn and vaccuum your mattress every two weeks, wash all bedding too. I’m sure this is what you have because an ex-boyfriend of mine had exactly the same experience. Using the above routine really helped. Good luck!

19

The living culture here in Taiwan contains a lot of Plastic which might emit too much Phthalate.
Phthalate is a softener for all kinds of artificial materials.

You might want to read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate

20

It’s interesting hearing everyone talk about their bad allergies in Taiwan. I am a horrible allergy sufferer here in San Francisco and also back home in Texas. However, not in Taiwan! I had bad allergies in March (every march in fact) right before my trip to Taiwan last year. I swear to you a day after landing in Taiwan my allergies were compeltely gone! Not even a sneeze or sniffle or stuffy nose! I am actually thinking the pollution masks the allergens or the particular things im allergic to don’t exist in Taiwan.