The days are getting shorter, and fall weather is just around the corner. With fall come allergies. It is estimated that 40 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies.
Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance. Doctors say ragweed is the biggest allergy trigger in the fall. A single plant can produce 1 billion pollen grains per season. Ragweed grows abundantly throughout the South, North and Midwest.
Though the weed usually starts releasing pollen with cool nights and warm days in August, it can last into September and October. Hay fever is a general term to describe the symptoms of late summer allergies and ragweed is a common cause of hay fever. About 75 percent of people who are allergic to spring plants are also allergic to ragweed.
“From a symptom standpoint, late summer and early fall tend to be the worst for allergy sufferers,” said Dr. Azarias Lonberger, a primary care physician at Eskenazi Health Center Blackburn. “This time of the year is usually bad for people who have ragweed and mold allergies.”
Lingering warm weather, which causes mold spores to be released; fall leaves; and school allergens, such as chalk dust and classroom pets, also contribute to fall allergies.
While most allergies can’t be cured, a number of treatments can help relieve your allergy symptoms. Below are some helpful tips to make the fall allergy season more bearable for severe sufferers:
Shower frequently to remove pollen from your skin and hair.
Keep your windows closed and turn on the air conditioner.
Dry your clothes inside in the dryer instead of hanging clothes outside.
Remove decaying leaves from your yard and gutters.
If you rake leaves in the fall, wear a face mask.
When you first turn on your car air conditioner, leave your windows open and avoid breathing the air for several minutes until mold spores can disperse.
“While avoidance is the best medicine for allergy sufferers, it is often not the most practical remedy. The good thing, is while avoidance might not be entirely possible, limiting exposure and taking proactive measures to reduce allergy flare-ups can often be very helpful,” said Lonberger.
“For many people, avoidance measures can greatly reduce the symptoms of allergies,” Lonberger said. “Keeping windows closed and using the air conditioning, avoiding the outdoors for an extensive time during the morning hours when allergies tend to be the worst and never drying your clothes outside on a clothes line are some preventive measures people can take.”
For people with severe allergies, Lonberger said there are several steps a person should take to treat his or her symptoms. The first step is to try over-the-counter medications. If no improvement is seen within a few days, a visit to a primary care physician is warranted. In many cases, if the symptoms do not improve after seeing a primary care doctor, a person is then referred to an allergy clinic for skin testing to determine the allergens causing the reaction. Medication prescribed by a physician, such as a nasal spray and/or an oral medicine, typically can ease symptoms. For severe cases, allergy shots may be necessary.
Eskenazi Health provides allergy check-up services at several locations. For more information on these services or to find a primary care physician, call (317) 880-8687.
