Bio-attack on Japan! (Kafunsho)

[Taro Toporific]

Allergy sufferers in for season of sniffles
...a national affliction-and one that is peculiar to Japan. Few people abroad are laid low by cedar pollen, the culprit in the vast majority of hay fever cases in this country.
The misfortune of allergy sufferers mirrors that of the nation's forestry industry. After World War II, fast-growing cedar saplings were planted across the country in an attempt to re-establish war-ravaged forests.
The problem is especially pronounced in urban areas, suggesting that allergy attacks triggered by pollen are somehow connected with air pollution. Younger people are becoming vulnerable, and even pets are falling victim these days. The first cases of hay fever afflicting dogs and cats were reported in 1998 and 2000, respectively.
---The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 8(IHT/Asahi: February 17, 2003)

[Mulboyne]

Lemon is rich in polyphenol. So, it is good for you to have lemon after meals for keeping your body health, "SARASARA"
Pokka launches anti-hay fever drink

Pokka Corp has announced plans to market a drink that can ease hay fever symptoms. The Japanese soft drinks maker said earlier this week that it will begin to market the lemon-based beverage from 10 January. Following laboratory tests, Pokka said, hesperidin - a substance found in the peel of most citrus fruits - contained in lemon polyphenol has an anti-allergic effect that alleviates hay fever symptoms. A 100ml bottle of the soft drink, which will be priced at JPY162, contains 400mg of lemon polyphenol. Pokka hopes for first-year sales of JPY200m

This drink was actually launched back in June for the summer hay fever season but the warm November/December meant that the cedar trees spread pollen out of season and caused a winter hay fever outbreak.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Cedars' curse: After a scorching summer, the trees double their blossoms and pollen
Hayfever sufferers could be in for the worst season on record. An unusually hot and dry summer means cedar trees are producing more flowers, say the experts. That means an abundance of pollen and with it more eye itching and sneezing of the afflicted. According to Koyama Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, patients with hay fever symptoms began showing up as early as mid-November. "We are seeing at least three times as many patients compared with the same period last year," the hospital director said.
Kimihiro Okubo, associate professor at Nippon Medical School, said: "It used to be an extremely rare case, if ever, to treat a patient with (cedar pollen) hay fever at this time of the year." Specialists predict there will be a massive amount of pollen wafting in the air. The bumper crop of misery is being triggered by the relatively dry rainy season and a scorcher of a summer in 2004. They warn the pollen count could be a record-breaker.
...Association official, Koji Murayama, who is also an engineer for the Japan Meteorological Business Support Center, says: "The pollen count for next spring is expected to be about two to 2.5 times greater than that of an average year-as much as a 10- to 30-fold increase compared to this spring, which was a light year. It will certainly be a heavy season, possibly breaking the record of 1995."

[Charles]

Try one of the new 3rd-generation antihistamines, they work better and are cheaper than a 160Y bottle of lemon-flavored snake oil. I've tried every allergy drug known to man, and Allegra is the first one that really works, it's a miracle drug.

[Mulboyne]

Allegra is the biggest-selling antihistamine in Japan

[DJEB]

Or your could stop growing tree plantations and allow real forests to grow...

[Charles]

Allegra is the biggest-selling antihistamine in Japan

I am overjoyed to hear that. I didn't know if it was even available in Japan yet. I have terrible allergies to tree pollen, the first time I was in-country during the summer, I suffered miserably, and Allegra wasn't invented yet. Now I enjoy summers.
I used to hate going out into nature because I had such severe hay fever, I declared my preferred habitat would be in the middle of a city surrounded by 50 miles of nothing but concrete and no vegetation. Is it any wonder I love megalopolises like LA and Tokyo? Now thanks to Allegra, I don't have any excuses, but I still hate going out into nature. Now that I'm not constantly sneezing, or half-asleep from antihistamine side-effects, I have begun to notice that all the insects want to eat me.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Get set for allergy onslaught
Cedar pollen levels may be 10 times higher than last year in Tokyo, experts warn. If you're allergic to pollen, grab your handkerchiefs and head for the shops. Health experts predict this year will set records for extremes of cedar pollen, spreading allergy havoc across the nation, perhaps as early as around mid-February. Stores are girding for an expected onslaught in demand for anti-allergy products. Last summer's record-breaking heat wave is to blame for climbing pollen levels, experts say. High temperatures stimulated cedar and cypress trees to produce more floral buds-which will soon begin spewing pollen. In Tokyo, people are already donning filtering masks to deal with the city's highest-ever expected pollen count...more...

[Mels]

For those FG with allergies, nice to know you can collect all those tissue packets they hand out at train stations, department stores..etc.

Something to sneeze at
The amount of pollen in the air around Tokyo is expected to be ten to 15 times higher than last year, and perhaps even the highest on record. Horrible news for hay fever victims, but a potential bit of lucre for retailers, drug makers and others, who are covering shelves with a range of sniffle-fighting new products. Big Japanese retailers such as Takashimaya and Odakyu set up displays selling masks, eye drops and allergy medicines weeks earlier than usual. Kirin and Suntory, both beverage makers, have introduced teas, yogurt drinks and other concoctions claiming to alleviate allergies.

The surge in pollen is due to last summer's unusually warm weather. Although sales of allergy treatments should rise, the Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute predicts the overall effect on the economy to be negative, since those with the sniffles spend less time eating out and having fun.

Source:The_Economist-citiesguide-tokyo-admin@news.economist.com

[Taro Toporific]

DON"T SNEEZE on ME PLEASE

Hmmm, now how should have have said this in proper Japanese this morning on the train?
Pleeeeeease, forgive me but I just blew half my sinuses on the back of your coat.

[Mels]

That has happened to me on one occassion. Sometimes Japanese are sooo polite by wearing the white mask. But my luck, I get the ones that cough in your face.

Believe me, when that person sneezed on me, I turned around and gave him a piece of my mind in Japanese.

[Taro Toporific]

[Mels]

I've been guilty of that on more than one occassion this week.

awww Taro....do you have allergies? I can imagine....if you are in a tight position on the train and cant move....or somtimes it sneaks up on you and BLAM....you sneeze.

I was going to start a new thread about trains, but I will write it here.

Funny things that happen on the trains:
I was reminded of this because of the train conversation.

When my ex and some of our friends were on the Ginza sen coming home from a late night out. My ex was standing and talking...since he is animated, he wasnt holding onto anything...he was standing next to a young woman who was intrigued with his conversation.

well, before we knew it, the train made a hard stop....not the normal small jerking stop, but one that made people fall over. SO....since he was not holding on to anything, as he started to fly, he grabbed onto the scarf the young woman had wrapped around her neck......I was shocked and feared for her because her head jerked. OF course, it wasnt funny at the time and he profusely apologized to her...she was pissed needless to say........
At first I was upset at him because of what happened, but then we all would laugh our heads off because could imagine what that poor woman thought of the FG who almost killed her and how my ex's face looked at that moment.. I still think about that and get the uncontrollable giggles.
It was a bad stop though, another freind flew and slammed into a poll and several people were on the floor. I was lucky because I was sitting....

[Mulboyne]

VoA: Cedar and Cypress Allergies Nothing to Sneeze at in Japan

In some communities between one-fourth and one-half of the population is estimated to be allergic to pollen from one or both of the offending trees. These pollen allergies are relatively new to Japan. The first cases were not even reported until the early 1960s. A decade before that, Japan carried out a huge reforestation effort. By the time it was completed, cedar trees covered 12 percent of the Japanese archipelago, resulting in huge waves of pollen wafting through the air. While Japan was planting the trees, it was also modernizing. Dr. Ruby Pawankar teaches at the Nippon Medical School and is on the Board of Directors of the World Allergy Organization. She says improved hygienic conditions are probably to blame for the Japanese becoming sensitized to pollen on such a wide scale. "There has been a reduction in infections, and that's what we call the hygiene hypothesis. So when the infections decrease, the suppressive factor is removed. The tendency to be more exposed to becoming allergic is increasing. Other factors are, like, urban style of living, wall-to-wall carpeting, closed houses with less ventilation, also dietary changes," she says.
The pervasiveness and severity of this spring's pollen count is forecast to take a significant economic toll. Toshihiro Nagahama is senior economist at the Dai-Ichi life insurance company's research institute. Mr. Nagahama says if this season's pollen forecast is accurate, Japan's gross domestic product will be pushed down six-tenths of a percent on an annualized basis. The research institute expects that millions of Japanese, holding tissues at the ready for weeks on end, will generally just want to curl up in a ball - and sneeze. Mr. Nagahama, who suffers from cedar pollen allergy himself, says leisure and travel spending will be the hardest hit - down nearly four percent - and spending on food will drop more than two percent.

[cstaylor]

[Mulboyne]

Lactic acid bacteria new weapon in pollen fight
...But a new weapon to fight hay fever could be on the horizon. Lactic acid bacteria, used in making yogurt, has recently drawn attention as a new countermeasure against hay fever. Lactic acid bacteria perform a vital role in keeping the gastrointestinal tract healthy, and have also proved effective in controlling pollen allergy symptoms...Lactic acid bacteria are microorganisms that dissolve sugar, producing lactic acid and vitamins. They also keep the interior or the gastrointestinal tract slightly acidic and repel cells harmful to the body, while their presence can help prevent constipation and diarrhea...more...

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Ministries battle over rice claimed to prevent hay fever

A bureaucratic battle is taking place between two ministries over whether a newly developed genetically modified rice that is claimed to alleviate hay fever should be categorized as a drug or a food, according to sources. On Monday, the health ministry notified the agriculture ministry that it would not recognize the rice as a food product. On Tuesday a cross-sectional government panel studying measures to combat hay fever concurred with the ministry's view. But agriculture ministry officials said: "If the product's descriptions say that the product has efficacy to combat hay fever, it should be treated as a drug. But as long as the effectiveness is cited as a 'special feature' of the product then it should be treated as a food," a ministry official said.
...more...

[Mulboyne]

Japan Today: Forestry Agency to modify cypress, cedar to stem pollen
With the hay fever season due to swing into full gear soon, the Forestry Agency is embarking on a plan to develop new varieties of pollen-free cypress and cedar to help ease the suffering of those allergic to the fine powders. The agency's "modification plan" is to replace the trees that scatter immeasurable amounts of pollen into the air in the spring and cause people sensitive to hay fever, young and old, to suffer watery eyes and runny noses. But it may take decades before the agency is able to produce the desired effect. "We didn't expect to gain the spotlight in this way," said Susumu Kurinobu, 52. "But it is the result of years of our research."

[dimwit]

But it may take decades before the agency is able to produce the desired effect.

And decades more to replace all the pollen baring trees. So maybe in fifty year hay fever may not be as bad.

[Mulboyne]

Menthol noseplugs from Yokoi. Around 300 yen for 20. Manufacturer recommends wearing a mask to disguise the fact you have cotton wads stuffed up your nose.

[Taro Toporific]

Menthol noseplugs from Yokoi. Around 300 yen for 20. Manufacturer recommends wearing a mask to disguise the fact you have cotton wads stuffed up your nose.

Chinese anti-hayfever tea is the latest fad here in the office.

Ingredient Functional Foods for Allergies in Full Bloom in Japan
2004-03-12 - NPIcenter .
...a number of Japanese food and drink manufacturers have introduced anti-allergy (principally anti-hay fever) claims on chewing gums and soft drinks. These tend to be products formulated with tencha, a type of Chinese tea, or perilla, a member of the mint family. Both are claimed to curb the symptoms of pollen allergies. Some examples of specific products include Tencha Mint Gum from Lotte and Kabaya's Kafun Chuiho anti-allergy candy with tencha. The product name translates as "hay fever warning."

[Mulboyne]

Fibre2Fashion: Textile major Miyuki Keori introduces new anti-pollen fabric
Leading textile producer in Japan Miyuki Keori Co announced it has developed new fabric using nanotechnology that prevents pollen from adhering to it and will be particularly beneficial to hay fever patients. Miyuki Holdings Co, the controlling company expects to start selling anti-pollen men's winter suits between late August and September. Particles with a diameter of about 30 nanometers are attached to the surface of threads that is used in the new fabric. One nanometer is a millionth of a millimeter. These particles block pollen from getting into gaps on fabric.

[dimwit]

Does anyone have any statistics on number of hat fever sufferers in Japan by region? I know that there is a strong correlation between urban living and allergies which would tend to make me think places like Kawasaki would have the worst allergy rates.

[Mulboyne]

Photo: Asahi

Mizuno's new Superstar brand anti-hayfever sportswear. On sale from the 10th. Who's this model, then?

[Mulboyne]

JCN: Rohto Pharmaceutical to Open Real-time Pollen Dispersal Forecast Website

Rohto Pharmaceutical announced...that it will open Alguard Pollen Information a website to provide PC and cellphone users with information on pollen dispersal, on February 1. The site will also provide free information on hay fever. In particular, the new service will cover the entire Japan, enabling users to access precise information on pollen dispersal in a specific area by simply specifying the area and time. In addition, the site will offer a free e-mail alert service that informs subscribers of the latest pollen dispersal information. The site will be open through May 15

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Tokyo asks sneezing citizens to cough up for trees
Tokyo's city government is trying to persuade allergy sufferers to sponsor a campaign to replace the pollen-rich cedar trees that cause misery for many Japanese each spring. Hay fever sufferers are being asked to donate 1,500 yen to cover the cost of cutting down one of about 1.8 million cedars in a western Tokyo forest and replacing it with a low-pollen variety, a city official said on Monday. The city expects the project to cost three billion yen and take 10 years. A reforestation programme after World War Two sparked Japan's pollen allergy problem -- the authorities only later realised the cedars were leaving millions of Japanese sneezing and teary-eyed. Tokyo has been engaged in a push to help allergy sufferers since last year, when city governor Shintaro Ishihara himself developed the symptoms of hay fever.

[Mulboyne]

Crisscross: Sapporo beer said to ease hay fever symptoms

Sapporo Breweries Ltd, and Sapporo Beverages Co, Ltd said Monday that Sapporo beer is effective in mitigating hay fever symptoms. Hop flavonol glycoside extracted from the beer prevents histamine, an allergy-inducing substance. Sapporo Group conducted a clinical trial of 20 patients with hay fever symptoms and found that 60% them noted less sneezing and 55% noted less runny nose with significant improvements on their symptom-medication scores. Sapporo has filed a patent application based on the effect of beer on hay fever symptoms. Going forward, the Group will explore the affect of beer on atopy and allergy symptoms related to house dust.

[Greji]

Crisscross: Sapporo beer said to ease hay fever symptoms

I can see right away I'm going to have a lot of trouble getting the old lady to buy off on this one!

[kurohinge1]

Crisscross: Sapporo beer said to ease hay fever symptoms

. . . Sapporo Group conducted a clinical trial of 20 patients with hay fever symptoms and found that 60% them noted less sneezing and 55% noted less runny nose with significant improvements on their symptom-medication scores. . .

And after many more dai-joki - oops, I mean "clinical trials" - 100% of them noted less of pretty much everything.

[Mulboyne]

Digital World Tokyo tells of a new USB hay fever mask.

The 2,480 yen USB Mask...is marketed as an add-on to the gauze or cotton surgical masks that are almost ubiquitous here in spring. Its selling point is that it includes two convection fans powered from a PC, which draw cool external air through a filter onto the mouth and nose.