By Sue Danielson, health services

Spring Allergies are Coming

Although it still doesn’t feel like spring, it is time to start thinking about those pesky spring allergies. Spring is the time of year that we normally think of when it comes to seasonal allergies. As the trees start to bloom and the pollen becomes airborne, allergy sufferers begin their annual ritual of sniffling and sneezing. Each year, 35 million Americans fall prey to seasonal allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever.

Although there is no magical cure for spring allergies, there are a number of ways to combat them, from medication to household habits.

Need some allergy relief? If you have allergies, you know that you can run, but you can't hide from seasonal pollen. With the first deep breath of spring, more than 50 million Americans begin their nearly year-round symptoms of sneezing, wheezing, coughing, snorting, and itching. And millions of allergy sufferers seek allergy relief in prescription medications that cost $6 billion dollars per year worldwide.

The biggest spring allergy trigger is pollen—tiny grains released into the air by trees, grasses, and weeds for the purpose of fertilizing other plants. When pollen grains get into the nose of someone who’s allergic, they send the immune system into overdrive.

The immune system, mistakenly seeing the pollen as foreign invaders, releases antibodies -- substances that normally identify and attack bacteria, viruses, and other illness-causing organisms. The antibodies attack the allergens, which leads to the release of chemicals called histamines into the blood. Histamines trigger the runny nose, itchy eyes, and other symptoms of allergies.

Pollen can travel for miles, spreading a path of misery for allergy sufferers along the way. The higher the pollen count, the greater the misery. The pollen count measures the amount of allergens in the air in grains per cubic meter. You can find out the daily pollen count in your area by watching your local weather forecast or by visiting the NAB: Pollen and Mold Counts page on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s website.

Allergy symptoms tend to be particularly high on breezy days when the wind picks up pollen and carries it through the air. Rainy days, on the other hand, cause a drop in the pollen counts because the rain washes away the allergens.

The symptoms of spring allergies include:

• runny nose
• watery eyes
• sneezing
• coughing
• itchy eyes and nose
• dark circles under the eyes

Airborne allergens can also trigger asthma, a condition in which the airways narrow, making breathing difficult and leading to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. For more information, contact health services at ext. 3806 or scdanielson@viterbo.edu. (information from WebMD)