What Allergy and Asthma Sufferers Need to Know for Fall

An estimated 35 million Americans suffer from allergies. For those with fall allergies, three triggers typically occur – ragweed, indoor allergens and infections.

“During the summer, people experience the lowest incidence of allergies and asthma so they feel better and stop taking their allergy medications...” said David Rosenstreich, M.D., director of the allergy and immunology division at Montefiore Medical Center. “If allergy sufferers make the mistake of waiting until after their symptoms are in full swing, it’s much harder to stop the allergic reaction than to prevent it from even beginning.”

One of the biggest culprits for fall allergies is ragweed. In the fall, ragweed releases pollen into the air and this continues until frost kills the plant closer to winter. Most prevalent in the Eastern and Midwest states, ragweed causes an allergic reaction commonly called hay fever and results in symptoms that include itchy eyes, nose and throat, sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, tearing or dark circles under the eyes.

An allergy symptom is the result of the immune system overreacting. It mistakes the pollen or other allergy trigger as a foreign invader and attacks it, which leads to the release of chemicals called histamines into the blood. The histamine travels through the blood and latches onto histamine receptors on other cells, causing them to swell. This inflammation causes many familiar allergy symptoms.

Another trigger for allergies during the fall is due to people staying indoors more and they are therefore exposed to allergens like pet dander, dust and mold. Several precautions to consider include:

• Maintain an allergen free environment at home
• Focus on your bedroom: keep your pets out, eliminate the rug because it collects dust and avoid feather pillows
• Make sure the fireplace is well-ventilated and be careful of any leakage
• Keep basement and bathroom dry to avoid mold growing in these damp areas of the house
• Have your heating system cleaned to avoid dust mites when you first turn on the heat


The third trigger is infections and the flu, which affect the body’s immune system and cause it to release antibodies and histamines to fight them off. The flu vaccine is recommended to help reduce the risk of getting sick, but it’s even more important for people who suffer from asthma or other lung conditions.

“There’s no reason for people with allergies to suffer,” Dr. Rosenstreich said. “As long as you take the proper precautions, you should be able to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and make the most of family time in your home.”

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Fall Landscaping: How to Reduce Allergens in Your Yard

Photo: graur codrin; Freedigitalphotos.net

Prepping your yard this fall can give you a head start on spring landscaping, but it can also mean suffering from seasonal allergies seasonal allergies. Ragweed pollen and lingering mold can create double the symptoms for some allergy sufferers.

“The daunting task of yard work can be favorable for allergy sufferers if they know how to reduce allergens in the areas surrounding the home,” said allergist Richard Weber, MD, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “Many people think you can only control the environment inside the home, but there are also precautions you can take to help eliminate allergens outside as well.”

While completely avoiding pollen and mold is an impossible feat, the following tips from ACAAI allergists allergists can help you breathe a little easier.

Timing is Everything – The mid-day and afternoon hours might seem like the best time for yard work, but it’s the worst time if you have pollen allergies. Pollen counts are the highest during this time, making early morning and evening hours more suitable. Weather can also play an important role. Rain showers can temporarily clear pollen from the air. Thunderstorms, however, can increase airborne allergens, and the standing water left behind is the perfect breeding ground for mold spores.

Dress to Protect – You don’t need to impress while working in your yard, instead dress wisely. Buy pollen masks and gardening gloves at your local hardware store. These will help keep your hands clean and allergens from entering your airways. Wearing large sunglasses will keep pollen and mold from aggravating your eyes. A hat will reduce pollen from sticking to your hair. Also opt for long pants and shirts to prevent skin irritation, while keeping allergy-causing stinging insects away.

Choose Wisely – The worst allergy offenders might be in your own yard. If you are considering adding new trees, grasses and plants into your landscape, be sure they aren’t the worst offenders. While everyone’s allergies are different, these are typically safe:

Trees
o Apple
o Dogwood
o Pear
o Plum
o Begonia flower

Plants and Flowers
o Daffodil
o Lilac
o Magnolia
o Rose
o Sunflower

Be Quick to Clean – Mold and pollen can collect on fallen leaves. Be sure to rake leaves often and wear a pollen mask while doing so, since raking can stir allergens into the air. Continue mowing your lawn throughout the fall and keep your grass short. Maintaining your lawn will keep grass from flowering and producing pollen. If raking and mowing are too bothersome, ask a family member to do it for you. Once you are finished with yard work, remove your shoes before entering your home and be sure to shower right away. Your shoes, clothing and hair can all be allergen magnets.

Taking allergy medication long before you head into the great outdoors can help suppress allergy symptoms. ACAAI allergists recommend taking your medication two weeks before symptoms start, and continue well after the first frost.

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Does your child have a pollen allergy?

Photo: Chris Roll/freedigitalphotos.net

When warmer weather starts to roll in, most kids are ready to shake off cabin fever and get outside to play. It’s also the time when trees and plants are pollinating − a bad combination for a child with a pollen allergy.

“Spring is a problem for lots of people with allergies because it’s when trees and other plants start releasing pollens into the air,” said Joyce Rabbat, MD, pediatric allergist at Loyola University Health System and assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. “There are different types of allergies, but if you notice that your child has more symptoms and reactions during the spring it’s a clue that they have a pollen allergy.”

According to Rabbat, allergy symptoms include:
• Itchy eyes
• Sneezing
• Stuffy and/or runny nose
• Coughing
• Asthma

“It’s great to get kids outside and exercising, but if your child has outdoor allergies just be sure to keep an eye on them in case of a reaction,” Rabbat said. For children with allergies to pollen, symptoms most likely will be worse on dry, windy days. Rabbat suggests the following to help limit reactions.

• Check pollen counts and try to spend less time outside when the counts are high. Loyola has an official allergy count you can follow on Twitter @GottliebAllergy
• Keep windows and doors closed, especially on high count days, to limit the amount pollen that settles onto furniture and carpet
• Use the air conditioner to filter pollens from the air inside your house
• When children come in from outdoors have them wash their face and hands; consider having them take a shower and change their clothes to get pollen off the body.

“If your child is active outdoors or in sports, make sure he or she takes allergy medication before heading outside,” Rabbat said.
Rabbat warns parents to keep an eye out for asthma symptoms as many children who deal with allergies have allergic asthma as well.

Allergic asthma symptoms include:
• Couging
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid breathing
• Feeling a tightness in the chest

“Often treating children’s allergies helps to control their asthma as well. Kids may need to take an allergy medicine before going outside, or they may need daily allergy medication. It’s also important to get ahead of your allergy symptoms. Once allergies are flaring, they become more difficult to treat. If you are on a good medication regimen before the pollens peak, it makes for a much more enjoyable season,” Rabbat.
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Indoor air alert: Feeling queasy? It may be your allergies

Many regions across North America are experiencing a wave of aggressive levels of pollen and mold triggering an onslaught of allergic reactions. Yet, while we're all too familiar with stuffy noses and itchy eyes, allergy sufferers may also be feeling something else.....a little queasy.

There are a surprising number of ways that allergies can bring on the feeling of being nauseated. The first is mucus. Seasonal allergies are triggered by the body's overreaction to an airborne allergen. A by-product of that reaction is mucus production which leads to a runny nose and watery eyes. Excess mucus can also run down the throat and pool in the stomach leaving you with that feeling that something just isn't sitting right.

Going hand in hand with mucus is congestion, or that horrible sensation of being stuffed up with pressure in your face and ears. That increase in pressure can actually put your body off-balance leading to feelings of dizziness and nausea.

Probably the most surprising link between nausea and allergies is fluid loss. The human body naturally loses about 10 cups of fluid per day. Add to that a constantly runny nose and leaky eyes and you may be feeling a little dehydrated which could bring on a sick feeling.

The solution? Up your fluid intake and reduce the number of allergens in your home by leaving your shoes at the door, vacuuming frequently and leaving your HEPA air purifier cranked 24/7.

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Seasonal Allergies Making Your Life Miserable? Blame Your SUV.

If you’re among the millions who suffer from allergies and allergic asthma, you know that this allergy season has been particularly bad and we all may be to blame.

According to a new report, our warming planet is creating the perfect conditions for a significant increase in pollen levels and bumper fall crops of ragweed in the years to come.

The National Wildlife Federation and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that the changes will affect more than just your Kleenex consumption, but will cost the American economy more than $32 billion dollars in lost productivity, missed workdays and medical costs stemming directly from allergies.

Amanda Staudt, a climate scientist at the Wildlife Federation says that spring conditions are already arriving two weeks earlier than 20 years ago. She says that these longer growing seasons will produce even more allergy-provoking pollen and may allow highly allergenic trees like oaks and hickories to start replacing pines, spruces and firs that generally don't trigger allergies.

To cap off the bad news, the worst allergy-inducing plant, ragweed, will actually thrive over a longer, warmer growing season. In fact, there’s evidence that ragweed actually grows faster as carbon dioxide levels increase in our atmosphere.

Harvard University researchers reported similar results in 2002 study .
Hum…maybe we shouldn't be driving military vehicles to the grocery store after all.


Allergy Tip:
Speak to your HR manager or supervisor at work about installing air purifiers in your office.

Most companies are on the look-out for ways to cut absenteeism and implement “green” initiatives. Clean air has been proven to have a direct impact on productivity and employee satisfaction. A room air cleaner with a medical-grade HEPA filter will remove 99.97% of airborne pollen and other allergens. Check out AllerAir’s AirMedic that also remove airborne chemicals, gases and odors.