Mother/Infant/Child | Articles
April showers bring May flowers, but this year they’ve also brought a bumper crop of grass, ragweed and early-budding trees that means misery to millions of allergic Americans. Experts across the country say they are recording the highest pollen counts they’ve seen in a decade. And while the Southeast usually gets slammed the hardest when it comes to airborne allergens, this season it may be Yankees who are suffering the most.
“I looked at the total pollen counts for this season compared to last, and, at this point, we have already reached 80-90 percent of what we saw for the entire season last year,” said Albany, N.Y.-based allergy specialist Dr. David Shulan, a spokesman for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).
“We have seen an early and aggressive allergy season, including seasonal pollens and mold spores,” said Dr. Clifford Bassett, a Long Island-based allergist and vice-chairman of Public Education Committee.
There are steps the allergic can take to minimize the sneezing, wheezing and itchy eyes that plague them this season. One is obvious: Avoid the great outdoors. That doesn’t mean sealing yourself indoors 24/7, experts said, but some common-sense tips might help.
First off, get someone else to help you with yard chores — find someone in the family who’s not allergic to do the mowing, for example.
Pollen counts are always highest in the morning, so try and plan outdoor activities for the afternoon or evening whenever possible. Rain tends to drive allergens out of the air, so planning activities for just after a good rain makes sense, too. “The patient will frequently feel better for a day or so after a rainstorm, because there’s less pollen blowing around,” said McMahan, who is also an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine.
All the experts stressed that keeping windows closed and using air conditioning — even when the weather is pleasant outside — can cut the misery for allergic individuals while they’re at home.
Hopefully this information will help explain the extreme sinus symptoms you may be suffering.
Dr. Benzinger
317-872-2989
