According to the FDA, as many as 26 million Americans suffer from
chronic, seasonal allergy. This is defined as allergy to seasonal
pollens that occurs each year during the bloom time of the
allergen-causing plant.
While many people blame their seasonal allergies on the neighbor’s
flower garden, the truth is most allergy causing plants are common
grasses, trees, and weeds. The allergy season usually begins in
spring with trees, continues on through summer with grasses, and
ends in autumn with the ragweeds. The flowers that are commonly
grown in gardens are not generally the culprits. These plants are
prized for their showy blooms, which attract bees and wasps for
pollination.
Allergy causing plants depend on the wind to disperse
their pollens. They have not evolved with strategies (such as pretty
flowers and sweet scents) to attract the flying insects they need
for pollination. So it is more likely to be your neighbors Bahia or
rye grass than the roses or irises in the garden.
Common strategies for treating seasonal allergy depend on avoidance
of the pollen as much as possible and medication to control the
symptoms of allergic reaction. The allergy symptoms of runny nose;
itchy watery eyes; sneezing; wheezing; hives or eczema; and coughing
are caused when a person’s immune system does not correctly
recognize the harmless plant pollen protein as harmless. Instead the
immune system senses the body is under attack and prompts the mast
cells to produce histamine. It is this histamine that results in the
symptoms.
Strategies for pollen avoidance include staying indoors when the
allergy causing plants are producing their pollen. Many local
newspapers and weather services provide pollen counts. In addition,
the website www.pollen.com provides pollen counts and pollen
forecasts by ZIP code for the United States. I
If you must be outdoors
when pollen counts are high, wear a protective mask such as the
Q-Mask or the µ2 Mask. A HEPA particle respirator is not necessary
for pollens, since pollens are 20 microns or larger. Also, if you
must be outside for an extended period of time, when you come inside
be sure to take a shower, wash your hair, and change your clothes.
Your hair, clothing, and skin can become quickly loaded with pollen
and it is important not to spread it around your home. For that
reason, don’t throw those pollen-laden clothes on your bed! Try to
stay indoors on windy days.
Pollen counts are lowest after a
rainfall, so that is a great time to get outside. When you are
indoors, keep all windows and doors closed. If you must have a
window open for air circulation, install a pollen filtering MicroAirScreen window screens. These special screens repel particles
as small as 8 microns. Because this is a repellent screen, it will
not need to be washed as often as a filtering screen. If you have a
good quality HEPA air cleaner (such as the Austin Air, Healthway, or
AirPura) run this machine on the highest setting. If you have pets,
keep them inside on high pollen count days also. The animal’s fur
can quickly become loaded with pollen and when they come inside it
will be spread throughout the house.
If despite your best efforts you are still suffering from seasonal
allergy symptoms then it is time to turn to over the counter
medication. The most commonly used medications are loratadine (the
active ingredient in Claratin) and diphenhydramine (the active
ingredient in Benadryl). The diphenhydramine can cause drowsiness,
so you might want to save that for nighttime treatment. The
loratadine does not cause drowsiness and is also available with
pseudoephedrine sulfate if a decongestant is needed.
In addition, keep your immune system healthy by getting plenty of
sleep, drinking water to stay properly hydrated, eating a healthful
diet, and keeping active even if it is indoor activity during pollen
season.
How to Treat Seasonal Allergy / allergy
store /articles/mdk/2008
