Is it a cold or maybe hay fever? With so much blossoming going on, and le printemps around the corner, it is probably le rhume des foins causing this sneezing and stuffy nose and not simply le rhume.
TODAY'S WORD: le rhume des foins
: hay fever, rhinitis
EXAMPLE SENTENCE & Audio File
Démangeaisons du nez, éternuements, écoulement nasal clair, sensation de nez bouché en sont les principales caractéristiques [du rhume des foins]. La rhinite allergique s'accompagne le plus souvent de démangeaisons du palais, des conduits auditifs et des yeux. La fatigue, les maux de tête, un écoulement dans l'arrière gorge, les difficultés à se concentrer et à s'endormir ainsi que la perte d'odorat sont des signes caractéristiques de la rhinite. (Le Journal des Femmes; Rhinite Allergique)
Itching of the nose, sneezing, runny nose, stuffed nose are the principal characteristics [of hay fever]. Allergic rhinitis most often accompanies a itchy palate, itchy ear canals and eyes. Fatigue, headache, post-nasal drip, difficulty concentrating and falling asleep as well as loss of taste are characteristic signs of hay fever.
LISTEN to Jean-Marc read today's example sentence: Download Rhume-des-foins
Improve your spoken French with Pronounce it Perfectly in French or Exercises in French Phonetics
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
Every year I am duped, completely duped, by a little yellow ball of fluff. Le pollen!
This year was no different. I thought I'd caught a cold and so began acting like a cold victim (or maybe even a flu victim!). I tucked myself into bed. Took a Dolipran for my aching body, and canceled my Thursday night meetup, not wanting to share microbes, as the French say.
Friday, when we went looking at houses, I bundled up with a thick scarf around my neck. I apologized to each realtor and homeowner who reached for my hand to shake it: Désolée, je suis enrhumée….
But as we drove along country roads flanked with blossoming almond trees–mimosa dotting the hillsides, Jean-Marc had an intuition: "Peut-être c'est tes allergies…."
Sneezing 5 times in succession convinced me. "Et oui! Ce n'est pas le rhume — c'est le rhume des foins!"
At the pharmacy, I asked the man behind the counter if many people have come in complaining about hay fever. "Non," he said. "But they'll soon be pouring in. C'est la saison." Indeed it is–it's allergy season!
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Share any tips for hay fever relief in the comments at the end of this post. Thanks.
Be prepared for hay fever season: a selection of products, here.
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FRENCH VOCABULARY
le Doliprane = medication containing paracetamol
le microbe = germ
désole(e) = sorry
je suis enrhumé = I have a cold
peut-être c'est les allergies = maybe it's allergies
la rhûme = cold (sickness)
la rhûme des foins = hay fever
c'est la saison = it's the season
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
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Le rhume est un mot masculin…
I am an American (half French) living in the southwest of France (also with a Frenchman) and enjoy your stories. You are like an invisible friend…
Kristi,
I used to suffer horribly from hay fever. My doctor prescribed a “burst” of prednisone orally. I took it for 4 days I think, and then tapered off. The symptoms completely disappeared for over a month. I went as long as I could and then took another “burst”. Within 2 or 3 years of this, my symptoms completely and permanently disappeared. There are also steroid nasal sprays that are effective. Good luck!
Hi Kristin. I have suffered seasonal allergies for all the years we’ve lived in France. One thing that really seems to work is a nettie pot combined with frequent washing of the face. You can get nettie pots at most pharmacies and bio stores in France. And it is totally natural.
As an herbalist, I can recommend a tea made of nettles – Urtica dioica – daily. It works best when you start taking it before pollen season begins, but helps at any time. Put an ounce of the dried herb in a quart jar. I like to add some dried peppermint as well, maybe 1/4 cup, for flavor. Fill the jar with boiling water and put a small plate on the top to keep the steam in (and the essential oils). Allow it to steep for at least 20 minutes. Strain and drink. I also recommend sweetening it with local honey, as it is very effective also, against hayfever. Hope you feel better!
claritan works for -no side effects.
Be sure to use distilled water or boil the water and then let the water cool before use. Those were the doctor’s directions given me at least.
May I suggest you try the supplement quercetin? It is a natural element contained in apple and onion skins among others. I take it for mysterious allergies that have crept up as I’ve aged. When my right eye is red, I take a couple of capsules and within 15 mins, the red is gone. Suggested by my MD who loves supplements such as this as opposed to Pharma meds. One can take up to 2-3,000 mg for flare-ups.
Lisa
I think it’s often difficult to know whether one is coming down with a cold or if it’s allergies. I hate that phrase “oh, it’s just my allergies”. As allergies, as I’m sure you know, can be just awful and make you feel pretty darn miserable. I have them, but never have itchy or red eyes, so it’s always hard to tell what’s up! I’m glad your readers have some great natural remedies. I’m going to keep coming back and reading the replies! Be well, get some relief! And, happy house hunting!!
Please, it’s un rhume. Can you not ask a French speakerto check what you write?
Hi Kristi,
I had really bad hay fever when we lived in Kansas…maybe all the hay fields? I love the photo of the field of Larkspur! 🙂 Hope the house hunt is going well!
TODAY, Kristi, I am tripping out instead on the absolutely gorgeous springtime photos here. In Niagara Region of Canada, our snow is gone and our temperatures nearing 10 C, but there’s nary a bud peeking from the ground. This is Ontario’s wine country and vegetable terrain, however — I’ve seen the vineyard ‘soldiers’ already growing quite fuzzy where their reaching topknots touch the sky: makes me smile to see there promise of what will soon be here, sneezes and all!! Cannot stop gaxing at today’s photos … fill something that was aching in my spirit this week. Merci beaucoup, Our Sneezy Kristi. Bah to hay fever and to all pollen allergies!
(OOPS — I meant, ‘especially’ rather than “instead”, and their (not there) promise, and ‘gazing’ not ‘gaxing’. Cannot blame autocorrect for these flubs, just laziness about getting out of my chair to fetch my specs! WHAT is the French for OOPS?)
Moi aussi, Kristin. J’ai des allergies, surtout à ce temps quand il y a
un “faux printemps”. Le pollen des chênes est jaune et virulent. Les remèdes de vos liseurs me semble excellents. Bon chance!
Kristi:
It is indeed “le temps” here in Savannah with a green dusting of “le pollen” on everything! I felt just as you described but after a good night’s sleep and a naproxen sodium I was able to take a group of lively little preschool children on an art museum tour without sneezing and wheezing.
Edie from Savannah
Hi Kristi,
I am so glad you have not the cold, but do take care of yourself. Also, I just read the “scary” story that you wrote back in 2011 when God knew you were but many of us did not know such yet. The story was so well told and I had to keep myself from rushing to the end. Thank you!
But at the beginning you wrote of jumpy legs and so for that my suggestion is try some magnesium with calcium and zinc capsules.
They work wonders for me. God bless, C-Marie
I do hope you find the cure and feel relief soon, my friend. I can commiserate! I was hit hard last week with a monster of a cold that had me in bed for days. I’m just beginning to feel alive again. What a wonderful feeling! By the way, I’ve been wondering how your dear Smokey is?
Our dear Kristi,
Not only a a(nother) wonderful post,but also such gorgeous pictures!The one of the larkspur just completely captured my imagination!
Most of all,hoping you get some relief from le rhume!
So many helpful suggestions!
The only one I can add is for possibly trying Allegra.I get hives,too,and as a heart patient,have to be careful.Doctor suggested Allegra as it is not supposed to raise your blood pressure.
Feel better,dear Kristi!
Love
Natalia XI
I’m sorry to hear you have le rhume des foins, Kristi. But another part of me is a bit envious. It will probably be another couple of months before New York sees any blossoms as in your lovely photos!
I second the nettie pot! And spreading some pokeroot ointment (very thick paste but I love the smell and it gives good temporary relief)over the sinus lines (along nose and arcade sourciliere.
Hello, there.
I am confused by allergies/cold every year too, but for me it is in June. What I was skeptical of, but what worked like a charm, was taking 1 teaspoon of local, raw honey every day, by itself. In NYC there is a beekeeper with hives all over the city, so my honey is literally from 3 blocks away. The idea is that the bees’ honey give you a micro-dose of the same pollens you are breathing in, thus strengthening your immunity to those allergens.
I did it as a lark, then found that I was symptom-free while others around me complained about how bad the pollen was.
And in response to A above, don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house.
Get the series of shots to desensitize you, but beware if you move you may have to do it all again. The reason for boiling the water (or using distilled water) for your neti pot is due to an amoeba that lives in lakes, especially warm lakes. While it’s infrequent, if you get one, it is almost always lethal. The water is safe to drink, but not to use as a nasal wash. Hope you’re feeling better soon. Hay fever is a funny name, but it’s miserable.
I, too, suffer from seasonal allergies, usually in the spring and again in late summer. I find that honey certainly helps. It also helps to eliminate (or at least reduce) sugar and dairy from one’s diet, though that’s a tough one for me. I hope you will feel better soon, Kristi.
I believe in natural remedies whenever possible and what has worked for me for many years has been Local honey and apple cider vinegar! For the last few years I also have been using a trio of essential oils; lavender, lemon and peppermint.
Je pense de toi et ta famille frequement.
Going dairy-free will make a huge improvement in that! Not to mention all kinds of other things. Not a popular solution in France, but one that works nonetheless.
Big smooch, K!
Nice