Health at the Water Cooler – Can drinking water help prevent hay fever?

Health at the Water Cooler – Can drinking water help prevent hay fever?

by | Apr 15, 2019 | water cooler, water cooler

If this image starts your nose itching instead of being able to simply admire the precision mowed grass, it’s quite likely you’re one of an estimated 10 million people in the UK who suffers with hay fever.

With spring already here (officially arriving in the UK on 20 March) it usually brings with it a soaring pollen count.

There are 3 pollen seasons in the UK and each has a different source:  tree pollen, released during spring; grass pollen, released during the end of spring and beginning of summer and weed pollen, released late autumn.

Hay fever (or seasonal allergic rhinitis), occurs when your body makes the mistake of treating the tree pollen, or pollen from shrubs, as a harmful organism, and the immune system goes into action by making antibodies to try to prevent it spreading. This can trigger a runny nose, itchy watery eyes and coughing, sneezing and sniffling – common allergy symptoms.

How can drinking water possibly help reduce my hay fever?

Usually the first thing a hay fever sufferer does is reach for the anti-histamines, which makes sense, however, as your body has gone into overdrive producing a ‘liquid’ reaction – runny nose, watery eyes, constant sniffling and sneezing – you can dehydrate through this additional loss of fluid. This coupled with the fact that anti-histamines tend to dry you up which can also lead to your dehydrating at a faster than usual speed. That’s the one aspect to consider.

The other aspect is that according to some studies, a lack of water causes you to produce more histamine, a protein that regulates water in the body and stimulates your thirst response. Histamine also plays a role in the body’s response to pollen. When you breathe in pollen, your body releases histamine, which is a main cause of allergy symptoms. Ergo, If you’re thirsty, you have more histamine being released which may make your symptoms stronger and last longer.

There is also information gleaned from a 2013 study found that dehydrated individuals produced less allergy-blocking antibodies.  With less of these antibodies, your body releases more histamine. Both of these contribute to more frequent and more intense allergy outbursts.

There’s more than one win here though – if you maintain good hydration habits, with frequent water refills from your water cooler in your workplace, as well as ensuring you carry drinking water with you when you’re out and about, not only will your general well-being increase but you may also be able to easier reduce your allergic reaction during the pollen seasons every year.

How does drinking water help with hay fever symptoms?

Drinking water can assist in managing hay fever symptoms by keeping your body hydrated. When you experience symptoms like a runny nose or watery eyes, your body loses fluid, and dehydration can worsen these symptoms. Staying hydrated helps to maintain the balance of fluids in your body, which can reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Moreover, hydration plays a role in controlling histamine levels, which are responsible for allergy symptoms. When you're dehydrated, your body may produce more histamine, exacerbating your symptoms. Therefore, regular water intake can help manage histamine production and potentially alleviate hay fever discomfort.

Can dehydration make hay fever symptoms worse?

Dehydration can indeed worsen hay fever symptoms. When your body is dehydrated, it may produce more histamine, a chemical that triggers allergy symptoms like sneezing and itching. This increased histamine production can intensify your allergic reactions and make symptoms last longer.

Additionally, dehydration can also reduce the production of allergy-blocking antibodies, further aggravating your symptoms. Therefore, maintaining proper hydration is crucial in managing hay fever, as it helps regulate histamine levels and supports your body's natural defences against allergens.

Why is it important to stay hydrated during pollen season?

Staying hydrated during pollen season is important because it helps manage the body's response to allergens. Hydration supports the regulation of histamine, a protein involved in allergy symptoms. When you're well-hydrated, your body is less likely to produce excessive histamine, which can reduce the intensity of symptoms like sneezing and itchy eyes.

Moreover, hydration aids in maintaining overall health and can prevent the dehydration that often accompanies allergy symptoms. By drinking enough water, you ensure your body can effectively combat allergens, potentially reducing the severity and duration of hay fever symptoms.

How does water intake affect histamine levels related to hay fever?

Water intake can significantly influence histamine levels in the body, which are closely linked to hay fever symptoms. When the body is dehydrated, it tends to produce more histamine, which can exacerbate allergy symptoms like runny noses and itchy eyes. Consuming adequate water helps maintain a balance, potentially reducing these symptoms.

Histamine is a key player in the body's allergic response, and its regulation is crucial for managing allergies. By staying hydrated, you help your body keep histamine levels in check, which can lessen the frequency and severity of hay fever episodes.

What are some tips for staying hydrated to manage hay fever?

To stay hydrated and manage hay fever effectively, it's important to drink water consistently throughout the day. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times, whether you're at work or on the go, to ensure regular intake. Using a water cooler at your workplace can also encourage frequent refills and help maintain hydration.

Additionally, be mindful of factors that can lead to dehydration, such as consuming caffeine or alcohol, which can have diuretic effects. Balancing these with water can aid in maintaining hydration levels. By prioritising hydration, you can better manage your body's response to pollen and reduce the impact of hay fever symptoms.

Can drinking water replace antihistamines for hay fever relief?

While drinking water is beneficial for managing hay fever symptoms, it is not a replacement for antihistamines. Water helps maintain hydration and can reduce the severity of symptoms by regulating histamine levels, but antihistamines are specifically designed to block the effects of histamine and provide more immediate relief.

However, combining good hydration practices with antihistamine use can enhance overall symptom management. Staying hydrated supports your body's natural defences and can complement the effects of antihistamines, potentially leading to more effective relief during pollen seasons.

The charitable aspect of your AquAid Water Cooler

by | Feb 18, 2019 | mains fed water cooler, water cooler, water cooler

You may be aware that AquAid has, since their inception some 21 years ago, donated in excess of £14 million to charity. This extraordinary achievement is due to their commitment to ensure that, since their first day of operations, a portion of their sales is donated to charity.

Charities where the principle focus is the implementation of sustainable water projects across the globe and from AquAid’s perspective, specifically throughout Africa, where a large percentage of the world’s poorest people reside.

What you may not be aware of is that for every bottle of water purchased and for each Mains Fed Water Cooler installed, a donation is made to the charities that AquAid has supported since 1998.

The charities AquAid support:

Christian Aid – AquAid have to date donated over £3 million to this charity, resulting in sustainable water projects throughout Africa aiding more than 338,000 people.

The Africa Trust – AquAid began this charity in 2010: 19 years later, over £6 million in donations has meant more than 1.2 million people have gained access to clean drinking water through the implementation of sustainable water projects such as the Elephant Pump.

What can you do?

If you’re considering installing a water cooler, we recommend AquAid. Not only will your organisation benefit by having constant access to refreshing drinking water readily available, but for each sip you take, you’ll be making a positive change in other’s lives by enabling their access to clean drinking water.

The possibilities are truly endless. Contact AquAid today.

The Clean Sip Water Straw Filters

The Clean Sip Water Straw Filters

by | Jan 12, 2019 | water cooler, water dispenser

The sheer number of people without access to clean and safe drinking water is staggering. According to the World Health Organization, in 2015 2.1 billion people didn’t have access to safely managed drinking-water services. Of those people ‘423 million people were taking water from unprotected wells and springs; and 159 million people were collecting untreated surface water from lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.’ It’s this desperate need, the need of millions to have cleaner and safer water to drink that drives us on and that has us support the Africa Trust. With a percentage of every water dispenser sale donated to the trust, AquAid has to date donated over £6 million pounds, built over 8,000 water wells in different developing countries on the continent, and helped bring safe drinking water to more than 1.2 million people.

There are many other organizations that also keep this dire need top of mind, and one such initiative is WATERisLIFE who have developed the new clean sip straw filters – a portable water purifier that can be used in any water source to provide water that is safe to drink.

This is how it works:

‘Inside the WATERisLIFE straw are membranes, patented filter material, and active carbon, which removes the taste and medium size bacteria. The technology protects against waterborne bacteria and viruses like typhoid, cholera, E. coli, dysentery and diarrhea. The smaller filters use new groundbreaking technology to cover a broader range of contaminates. Additionally, these filters deal with heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and aluminum, arsenic, fluoride, chlorine, cadmium, giardia, E Coli, algae, hydrogen sulfide, cholera, and typhoid.’

And this is how it makes a difference:

‘Each WATERisLIFE straw filter will provide hundreds of liters of clean water (typical use is 2-3 liters of water per day per person). Once it is no longer effective, the straw will stop being able to draw water. $10 puts a filter into the hands of a person who desperately needs it. ‘

If you also want to know that you’re making a difference and helping to bring clean and safe drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people, then choose an AquAid watercooler or water dispenser, because with every cup of AquAid water you help bring water to Africa.

Your Water Footprint & The Water Dispenser

Your Water Footprint & The Water Dispenser

by | Jan 8, 2019 | water cooler, water dispenser

We often talk about our carbon footprint – it’s a concept we’re familiar with out of necessity, because so much of what we do, or don’t do, affects our climate globally. But the same concept can be applied to water, whether it’s water out of the watercooler, irrigation water or washing water – nearly everything we do or consume is touched by water in some way and so it too has a footprint.

Building on the notion of virtual water first introduced by Professor Tony Allan in 1993, Professor Arjen Hoekstra in 2002 created the water footprint – a way of measuring how much water is consumed in the production of goods and services along the entirety of the supply chain. In the mid 2000’s global big-brand companies became more and more aware of their dependence on water and the water-related risks they faced, which in turn inspired Hoekstra in 2008 to create the Water Footprint Network  – a gathering of the brightest minds dedicated to showing how Water Footprint Assessment can help us move forward and overcome the challenges of unsustainable water use.

Their vision: ‘A world in which we share clean fresh water fairly amongst all people to sustain thriving communities and nature’s diversity.’

Their mission: ‘To use the water footprint concept to promote the transition toward sustainable, fair and efficient use of fresh water resources worldwide.’

So what can we do in our personal capacity to reduce our water footprint you might ask? Well there are two ways we can make a difference – directly and indirectly.

Directly we can reduce our own consumption by installing water-saving devices in our homes; we can make small changes like closing the tap while we brush our teeth; and we can use less water in our gardens.

Indirectly we have two options:  we can change what we consume – for example a shift from eating meat to becoming vegetarian, drinking tea instead of coffee, or better yet visiting the water dispenser more often and just drinking more plain water; or if these shifts seem too extreme, we can stay with what we consume, but choose those products (the cotton, beef or coffee) that has a lower water footprint. But this requires that we know more about the relevant products, and manufacturers aren’t always as forthcoming as they should be, so this is something else consumers can do – we can drive more transparency from the various key players.

Every action we take has a consequence – so let’s be sure to make it a positive one!