Seasonal Allergies – Trees start pollenating at the end of March in southwest Michigan

Common Seasonal Allergy Triggers

If you sneeze and cough during certain times of the year, you may have seasonal allergies. However, occasional allergies aren’t something you just have to live with. An allergist can pinpoint the cause and help you find relief.

In many areas of the United States, spring allergies begin in February and last until the early summer. Tree pollination begins earliest in the year followed by grass pollination later in the spring and summer and ragweed in the late summer and fall. In tropical climates, however, grass may pollinate throughout a good portion of the year. Mild winter temperatures can cause plants to pollinate early. A rainy spring can also promote rapid plant growth and lead to an increase in mold, causing symptoms to last well into the fall.

The most common culprit for fall allergies is ragweed, a plant that grows wild almost everywhere, but especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest. Ragweed blooms and releases pollen from August to November. In many areas of the country, ragweed pollen levels are highest in early to mid-September.

Other plants that trigger fall allergies include:

  • Burning bush
  • Cocklebur
  • Lamb’s-quarters
  • Pigweed
  • Sagebrush and mugwort
  • Tumbleweed and Russian thistle

While the timing and severity of an allergy season vary across the country, the following climate factors also can influence how bad your symptoms might be:

  • Tree, grass and ragweed pollens thrive during cool nights and warm days.
  • Molds grow quickly in heat and high humidity.
  • Pollen levels tend to peak in the morning hours.
  • Rain washes pollen away, but pollen counts can soar after rainfall.
  • On a day with no wind, airborne allergens are grounded.
  • When the day is windy and warm, pollen counts surge.
  • Moving to another climate to avoid allergies is usually not successful — allergens are virtually everywhere.
    

Allergy shots, or immunotherapy, allergen immunotherapy, is a useful thing to do. It’s useful not only because it helps with your symptoms, but it’s truly disease-modifying. It actually makes you less allergic.

Allergist Richard Weber, MD

Seasonal Allergy Management and Treatment

If you feel like you’re always getting sick, with a cough or head congestion, it’s time to see an allergist. You may think you’re sure pollen is causing your suffering, but other substances may be involved as well. More than two-thirds of spring allergy sufferers actually have year-round symptoms. Your best resource for finding what’s causing your suffering and stopping it, not just treating the symptoms, is an allergist.

Work together with your allergist to devise strategies to avoid your triggers:

  • Monitor pollen and mold counts. Weather reports in newspapers and on radio and television often include this information during allergy seasons.
  • Keep windows and doors shut at home and in your car during allergy season.
  • To avoid pollen, know which pollens you are sensitive to and then check pollen counts. In spring and summer, during tree and grass pollen season, levels are highest in the evening. In late summer and early fall, during ragweed pollen season, levels are highest in the morning.
  • Take a shower, wash your hair and change your clothes after you’ve been working or playing outdoors.
  • Wear a NIOSH-rated 95 filter mask when mowing the lawn or doing other chores outdoors, and take appropriate medication beforehand.

Our allergist’s treatment has unquestionably resulted in a better quality of life for Kealab.

Kealab’s mom

Your allergist may also recommend one or more medications to control symptoms. Some of the most widely recommended drugs are available without a prescription (over the counter); others, including some nose drops, require a prescription.

If you have a history of prior seasonal problems, allergists recommend starting medications to alleviate symptoms two weeks before they are expected to begin.

One of the most effective ways to treat seasonal allergies linked to pollen is immunotherapy (allergy shots). These injections expose you over time to gradual increments of your allergen, so you learn to tolerate it rather than reacting with sneezing, a stuffy nose or itchy, watery eyes.

Seasonally Related Triggers

While the term “seasonal allergies” generally refers to grass, pollen and mold, there is a different group of triggers that are closely tied to particular seasons. Among them:

  • Smoke (campfires in summer, fireplaces in winter)
  • Insect bites and stings (usually in spring and summer)
  • Chlorine in indoor and outdoor swimming pools
  • Candy ingredients (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter)
  • Pine trees and wreaths (Thanksgiving to Christmas))

Citation:  https://acaai.org/allergies/seasonal-allergies

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What Does An Allergist Treat?

Allergists treat two of the nation’s most common chronic health problems – allergies and asthma. Although symptoms may not always be severe, allergies and asthma are diseases and should be treated that way. Many people with allergies and asthma simply don’t realize how much better they can feel.

Allergists are specially trained to help you take control of your allergies and asthma, so you can live the life you want. They find the source of your symptoms and provide the most effective treatment options. Don’t let allergies or asthma hold you back from the things you love. Find expert care with an allergist.

Here are some of the conditions allergists treat:​

Asthma and Frequent Cough

Asthma is a disease that affects the airways in your lungs, making them inflamed and swollen. The inflammation makes your airways more likely to be bothered by allergens or things like smoke, stress, exercise or cold air. Airway muscle spasms block the flow of air to your lungs, causing symptoms that may include difficulty breathing, a tight feeling in your chest, coughing and wheezing. Sometimes your only symptom is a chronic cough, especially at night, after you exercise or when you are laughing. Sometimes asthma has only mild symptoms, but it can be life-threatening if you have an attack and stop breathing.

Hay Fever (Allergic Rhinitis)

Hay fever is a common condition that causes symptoms such as sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, watery eyes and itching of your nose, eyes or the roof of your mouth. Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal or perennial, and each has different symptoms:

  • Seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms occur in spring, summer and/or early fall. They are usually caused by allergies to pollens from trees, grasses or weeds or to airborne mold spores.
  • People with perennial allergic rhinitis experience symptoms year-round. It is generally caused by sensitivity to house dust mites, animal dander, cockroaches and/or mold spores. Underlying or hidden food allergies rarely cause perennial nasal symptoms.
Eye Allergies

Allergic reactions in your eyes, called eye allergies or allergic conjunctivitis, result in itching, redness and burning. They are often caused by the same allergy triggers that cause hay fever and can result in many of the same symptoms such as sneezing, sniffling and a stuffy nose. While many people treat their nasal allergy symptoms, they often ignore eye symptoms which can be treated effectively with medication or immunotherapy.

Skin Allergies

Contact dermatitis, eczema and hives are skin reactions that can be caused by allergens and other irritants. Sometimes, your reaction can happen quickly. Other reactions may take hours or days, as in poison ivy. Common allergens can be medicines, insect stings, foods, animals and chemicals used at home or work. Your skin allergies may be worse under stress.

Food Allergies

An allergic reaction to food can cause mild to serious symptoms. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, indigestion, diarrhea, hives or other skin rashes, wheezing and coughing, headaches, runny or stuffy nose and sneezing. In extreme cases, food allergy can trigger a severe and life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Some mild symptoms may be caused by a food sensitivity rather than an allergic reaction. An allergist can help determine if it is a true allergic reaction. Shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts are the most common food allergies in adults. Milk, eggs, soy, wheat, shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts are the most common food allergies in children.

Anaphylaxis

An allergist can help you determine if you have a severe allergy – one that might result in anaphylaxis, and help you identify triggers. Anaphylaxis is a rare allergic reaction that affects many parts of your body at the same time. If not treated quickly, it can be fatal. The trigger may be an insect sting, a food (such as peanuts), the latex in rubber products or a medication. The most dangerous symptoms of anaphylaxis affect your breathing and/or cardiovascular system (heart and blood pressure). Symptoms can include some or all of the following:

  • Hives, itchiness and redness on the skin, lips, eyelids or other areas of the body
  • Wheezing or difficulty breathing
  • Swelling of your tongue, throat, nose and lips
  • Nausea, stomach cramping and vomiting or diarrhea
  • Dizziness and fainting or loss of consciousness, which can lead to shock and heart failure

Frequently these symptoms start suddenly without warning and rapidly get worse. At the first sign of anaphylaxis, you should get help immediately, call 911 or go to the closest emergency room. If you have been prescribed epinephrine, you should use your epinephrine auto injector.

Sinus infections

Sinus infections, also called sinusitis, are common in people with nasal allergies such as hay fever. The constant stuffy and runny nose can inflame your nasal passages and make them swell. Symptoms include a runny nose with a thick discharge, cough and occasionally pain in your forehead, around and in between your eyes, in your upper jaw, cheeks and teeth. In some cases, sinusitis can be chronic and cause several infections a year. If you have asthma, you are more likely to have chronic sinus infections which can complicate your disease and make your symptoms more severe.

Citation:  https://acaai.org/allergies/allergy-treatment/when-see-allergist/what-does-allergist-treat?

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