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| Aaa-chooo! Allergies and the Season of Bless You’s |
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Aaaah...warmer days are finally here. The wonderful colors of spring emanate from a bevy of blooms. Instinctively, you take a whiff of the floral-scented air and before you know it, a familiar itch in your nose intensifies -- making your eyes water, your sinuses clog up and a resounding "aaa-chooo!" follows through.
Yes, spring has sprung and so has allergy season. According to parents.com, "up to forty percent of children in the United States suffer from seasonal allergies." The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reported that at least 39.5 million Americans have seasonal allergies.
Allergies.about.com defines seasonal allergy as "an allergic reaction to a trigger that is typically only present for part of a year, such as spring or fall. This type of allergy refers to pollen allergy, such as trees, weeds, and grasses. Pollens are tiny egg-shaped powdery grains released from flowering plants, which are carried by the wind or insects, and serve to cross-pollinate other plants of the same type for reproductive purposes. When pollen is present in the air, it can land in a person’s eyes, nose, lungs and skin to set up an allergic reaction. Symptoms may include allegic rhinitis (hay fever), allergic conjunctivitis (eye allergies) and allergic asthma."
Because pollen travel long distances, levels in the air may vary each day. Levels of pollen may peak from early morning to mid-morning, from 5am to 10am, the website also states.
Here are some other information from Allergies.about.com which may prove useful to people who are prone to springtime allergies:
How Do I Know What Pollens are Present?
In most areas, pollen is measured and counted, with the different types of pollen identified. This may be reported in terms of trees, weeds and grasses, or may be further divided into the types of trees and weeds identified. Specific grasses are not usually identified on pollen counts, as grasses look the same under a microscope.
How Do I Know Which Pollens I am Allergic To?
An allergist can help determine if you have seasonal allergies, and to which types of pollens to which you are allergic. This is accomplished through allergy testing, which typically involves skin testing or a blood test (RAST). Allergy testing can be helpful in predicting the times of the year that you are likely to experience allergy symptoms, and is needed if you are interesting in taking allergy shots.
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