Hay Fever at 50 and the Anniversary That Forced My Surrender

Lately I’ve had days when my runny nose and sneezing won’t stop for some reason, and today, March 7, I suddenly learned it’s something called “Hay Fever Anniversary.” For more than 50 years I thought it was a day that had nothing to do with me, so I never imagined I’d become a sufferer in this way.

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There are so many “days” in the world, and I was surprised the other day to find “I Hate Cilantro” Day, but I didn’t know there was even a day for hay fever. You might expect a celebratory nuance from the word “anniversary,” but as someone affected, being celebrated would be the last thing I want. I’d almost prefer people to offer their condolences.

The belief that if you don’t acknowledge it it doesn’t exist

I have a long-held creed: “If you don’t measure it, there’s no fever. If you don’t go to the hospital, you’re not sick.” Even when I feel a bit like I have a cold, I absolutely won’t reach for the thermometer. Once you see the temperature number, your brain finally recognizes, “Ah, I’m a patient.” Like Schrödinger’s cat, health and illness remain in a superposed state if you don’t observe them. So it’s better not to observe.

I took the same stance on hay fever. Since around two years ago, on the first or second day of pollen season I sometimes felt a little nasal tickle and itchy eyes. But it always settled down in a couple of days, so I told myself, “I’m not allergic—something temporary happened,” and I managed to get through pollen seasons unscathed.

What collapsed over the span of a week

However, this year is different. It’s been a week and my runny nose and sneezing haven’t stopped. My tissue consumption has clearly gone up, and my eyes are getting itchy.

Adding to that was the uncanny calendar coincidence of Hay Fever Anniversary. I can’t help but see it as a cosmic sign. A week-long flood of nasal discharge and, of all days, today. Isn’t that a voice from the heavens telling me to admit it? The faith I’ve held for over 50 years—that if I don’t acknowledge it it doesn’t exist—has finally crumbled.

The true nature of Hay Fever Anniversary and water overflowing from a cup

There seem to be various theories about the origin of Hay Fever Anniversary. The strongest theory is that on March 7, 1993, a weather information company in Japan issued the country’s first full-scale pollen dispersion report, but the Japan Meteorological Agency denies it, saying “we didn’t establish this and we’ve never issued pollen information.” A commemorative day that spread with no clear origin is, like hay fever itself, mysteriously able to spread reliably even with an ambiguous source.

That said, it’s apparently not uncommon to suddenly develop hay fever after turning 50. The often-used “cup of water” theory says that each time you inhale pollen, a little “water” called IgE antibodies accumulates in a cup inside your body until one day it finally overflows. The moment it overflows is when the allergy manifests. A cup slowly filled over 50 years has apparently broken its banks this year. Long-term accumulation is frightening; security holes and hay fever are similar in that by the time you notice them, it’s already too late.

One cause is also that aging thins the nasal mucosa and lowers its barrier function. Pollen that younger bodies could fend off can now reach deep into the mucosa. It’s like an old castle wall allowing invaders to get in. Stress is sometimes cited as a cause, too, but honestly I don’t think my current life is so stressful. I’m living a near stress-free, free-spirited life, yet hay fever doesn’t seem to care about people’s circumstances.

Science-approved self-care and dubious but interesting folk remedies

Now that I’ve decided to accept it, I have to take measures. I looked into several self-care methods said to have scientific backing.

First, applying Vaseline to the entrance of the nostrils. The UK’s NHS (National Health Service) also recommends this; pollen adheres to the oil and its entry into the body is reduced. It feels anticlimactic that something so simple could work, but simple solutions are often the most reliable.

Next, nasal irrigation with saline solution. It’s a straightforward way to physically wash pollen away. But doing it with pure water is painfully stinging, so it’s important to use a 0.9% saline solution. Like a kitchen knife, if you don’t use it correctly you’ll get hurt.

On the other hand, the world of folk remedies is chaotic. Does anyone really believe the power play of “watching a sad movie, sobbing your eyes out, and washing pollen away with your tears”? Apparently crying too much can swell the nasal mucosa and be counterproductive, but I don’t dislike the boldness of the idea.

There’s a persistent story that “if you eat yogurt every day, hay fever will be cured,” but improving the gut environment is a long-term battle—not something where eating it today will stop your sneezing tomorrow. That said, I’ve actually heard of someone who kept eating yogurt (I think Greek yogurt?) and their hay fever symptoms improved, so maybe it could happen.

What personally caught my attention was the weird tip of “applying squeezed lotus root juice to the nose.” There’s no proven medical basis for it, and it sounds like your nostrils would get all sticky, so I definitely won’t try it. But if anyone has tried it, please leave a comment with the results.

Declaration of surrender and how I’ll deal with it from now on

So, here I formally declare my surrender. I admit I have hay fever. Fifty years of resistance are over. I don’t need to measure it or go to a hospital anymore—my runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes prove it.

Tonight I’ll take a long soak in the bath and inhale the steam to moisturize my mucous membranes, since I read that helps. From tomorrow I’ll apply Vaseline, try nasal irrigation, and stock up on tissues. And probably in the years to come, I’ll face the same battle each time this season returns. But now that I’ve admitted it, I can take measures. I plan to start by getting a pollen allergy test soon.

Debuting with hay fever on Hay Fever Anniversary was, in a way, a fateful timing. It’s not the kind of event you’d want for an anniversary, but it’s certainly a day I won’t forget. As a new habit after turning 50, I’ve added springtime Vaseline and nasal irrigation.

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Life is always a learning process. I want to learn and grow from hay fever, too. So, with tissues in hand and nostrils stuffed at home, I’ll get through this spring.