How Climate Change Changes Allergy Season
For some people, spring in the Willamette Valley means time spent outdoors in the sunshine, enjoying the warming weather and admiring the blooming flowers and blossoming trees. For others, this season is riddled with itches eyes, irritated noses, and boxes of allergy medications and tissues. Unfortunately for seasonal allergy sufferers, this is only predicted to get worse as a result of rapid climate change.;;
Most of us know the general story behind climate change; increased global emissions from the transportation and industrial sectors and the release of other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has resulted in an overall warming of the planet. While the warming of regional climates varies all over the world, the state of Oregon has seen a rise in annual temperatures of about 2°F. While this may not sound like a drastic change, this 2°F increase is huge in the plant world.;;
In a study published in the European Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, researchers found that as annual temperatures increase and spring begins earlier most years, and plants respond with increased productivity. Because plants undergo photosynthesis to create their food, earlier springs mean more time to grow their leaves, and increases in greenhouse gases like CO2 which plants use in photosynthesis to create sugars means grasses, flowers, and tree blossoms can produce more pollen.;;
Achoo A Guide To Allergy Season In Your Area
With summer right around the corner, nows the time to find out what allergens to look out for and how to combat their affects so our season is sneeze-free.
According to this regional allergy guide, the U.S. is divided into eight sections based on allergens and pollination times. During the late spring and summer months, tree pollination is ending, ushering in grass and weed pollen season and a host of allergy symptoms.
PacificCalifornia, Oregon, and Washingtons tree pollination season ends at the beginning of July. Grasses like bluegrass, Bermuda grass, orchard, wheat grass, and sweet vernal start spreading their seeds in March and dont stop until November. Ragweed, sage, and chenopod can also cause problems all the way until November.
SouthwestIn Texas and Oklahoma, troublesome trees like cedar, oak, and elm pollinate until June. Grass season, which includes culprits like Bermuda and quack grass, lasts until September. Similar to the Pacific region, ragweed and chenopod are the main weed allergens in these states.
MountainThis region includes Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Idaho. May is the last month for maple, cedar, and oak trees to cause allergies here. Starting in April, grasses such as wheat grass, redtop, orchard, and Bermuda begin pollinating and keep going until July. Weed season starts in June, with ragweed and tumbleweed targeting people until fall.
Lda Therapy Low Dose Allergen Immunotherapy
Low Dose Allergen, or LDA therapy, is a safe and effective immunotherapy used to treat food allergies, environmental allergies, and autoimmune conditions.; This is a safe option for children of any age as there are no side effects.
LDA treatment involves very low dose combinations of allergens along with an enzyme, beta-glucuronidase. The critical component of this enzyme is that it attracts specific white blood cells involved in the immune response and makes them pay attention to the allergens included with the enzyme. This causes a down-regulation or calming of the reaction of the part of the immune system that was reacting to the allergens in the first place. In other words, LDA works to shut off the adverse or allergenic response and positively affect the immune system. This is also why it works well for most autoimmune conditions where the body is attacking itself.
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At What Age Do Children Start Showing Signs Of Seasonal Allergies
Allergies, including those to pollens, can only occur after a person has had a subsequent exposure to a substance. For this reason, seasonal allergy symptoms are uncommon in children under two, as it usually takes more than one exposure to a seasonal pollen to develop symptoms. You may begin to see signs of seasonal allergies in young children over the age of two, but it is more commonly seen in children ages five and up. Children with asthma, eczema, and/or food allergies are often more susceptible to develop seasonal allergies as well.
Posibles Ngulos Locales De La Noticia
¿Cómo son las concentraciones de polen en su área? ¿Qué especies de plantas están produciendo el polen?Se estima que casi 25 millones de personas en los EE. UU. tienen asma, y estudios sugieren que el cambio climático ya podrÃa estar contribuyendo a temporadas de polen más largas y mayores concentraciones de polen. Puede buscar conteos de polen locales e inscribirse para recibir alertas de nivel de polen a través de la Academia Americana de Alergia, Asma e InmunologÃa. También puede utilizar la Biblioteca de Investigación sobre Alergias y Botánica para descubrir qué especies de plantas contribuyen a las reacciones del polen en su área.
¿Está ubicado en una capital de alergias?La gravedad de la temporada de alergias varÃa en todo el paÃs. La Fundación de Asma y Alergias de América realizó un informe de 2021 sobre las 100 principales capitales de alergias en los EE. UU., clasificando las ciudades según los puntajes de polen de primavera y otoño, el uso de medicamentos de venta libre y la disponibilidad de alergólogos certificados. Vea dónde se ubicó su ciudad en la lista de las peores capitales de alergia.
¿Cómo se ven afectados de manera desproporcionada ciertos grupos raciales y étnicos en su área por una temporada de alergias más prolongada?Consulte el informe reciente de la AAFA sobre las Disparidades del Asma en los EE. UU. También puede consultar infografÃas y estadÃsticas especÃficas sobre las poblaciones negras, hispanas e indÃgenas estadounidenses.
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Knowing Whats In The Air Helps Us Help You
Oregon Allergy Associates is one of about 50 stations nationally that collects and provides pollen counts to a scientific database for the National Allergy Bureau. Neither the NAB or our office can provide historical pollen data to the public. Our physicians provide the counts as a public service to our community. The pollen is collected using a Burkard air sampler, located on the second story of our office at 15th and Oak Street in downtown Eugene, Oregon.
How To Alleviate Your Allergy Symptoms
Leeds recommended wearing a brimmed hat and sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes and nose. A solid rinse can also work wonders after spending time outside.
Wash your hands and face after being outdoors for long periods of time, and consider changing your clothes, she said.
If you are particularly sensitive, limit your time outdoors on poor air-quality days. Consider washing your eyes and nose with a saline solution. You might also want to swap out your contact lenses for eyeglasses, as pollen can cling onto lenses and irritate the eye. Cleaning your lenses more frequently and opting for daily disposable contacts can also help relieve itchy, watery eyes.
Pollen can get trapped inside your home, so keep your windows shut and car doors closed. Vacuum often to get rid of allergens trapped in your carpet. If you have AC, set it to nonrecirculated air.
AAFA also recommends using a HEPA air filter to purify the air in your house. And pets can be pollen magnets, so giving them a good rub down is a good idea after a springtime walk, Gupta said.
You might also want to hold onto your face mask a bit longer. The masks we use to protect ourselves against the coronavirus act as a barrier against pollen, too. The better the mask, the better the protection.
N95 masks are ideal for this, but standard masks most people are using to protect one another from COVID-19 also work, Mendez said.
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Modern Nose Clinic Offers Oregon Allergies Relief
You should not have to lock yourself in your home for months just so you donât feel miserable. Advanced allergy relief is here and easier than ever. At Modern Nose Clinic we offer allergy drops to help combat the symptoms many suffer from in Oregon. With no frequent office visits, no injections, and personalized treatment, feeling better has never been easier. Start finding relief roday!
How Can We Know What Is Causing The Allergies
Allergy testing through an allergist is the most effective way to determine what is causing a childs allergy symptoms.
Skin prick testing can be useful in identifying potential environmental allergies. This test uses a pointed plastic device to apply potential allergens in a liquid form to the skin, usually on the back. After the allergens are applied, the patient will wait for 20 minutes to see if a reaction occurs to the allergens applied to the patients skin. In addition to determining which foods or environmental factors cause a reaction, this test can also help to identify the severity of these allergies based on the size of the reaction. If an allergy is present, the patient may develop an itchy, red bump at the location of the prick site on their skin. The itching will often resolve in several hours and can be managed with an antihistamine or topical medication if uncomfortable.
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Are Seasonal Allergies Bad This Year
Its not your imagination: The allergy season of 2021 has been brutal. So were the past few years. In fact, a 2020 University of Wisconsin study indicated allergy season has been getting longer and stronger for the past 30 years.
Scientists blame climate change. Rising temperatures mean fewer days of frost in the spring. Plants bloom earlier, which results in more pollen in the air, which in turn means more intense allergy seasons.
How Does Lda Therapy Differ From Conventional Allergy Treatments
Conventional allergy medications work on blocking the histamine response, helping only when taken . Allergy shots and allergy drops work with the immune system to gradually build a tolerance to specific allergens. LDA treats multiple foods or inhalant allergies in a single treatment. It also works for resetting the immune systems response, rather than just working to build up a tolerance. It can also be used for more than just allergies because of how it works for resetting the immune system. LDA is less expensive and requires much less treatment once every two months versus weekly allergy shots or daily allergy drops.; Positive results can be seen immediately, but plan on two to three shots per year for; years.
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It’s Pollen Time Warmer Weather = Allergy Season
Runny noses and itchy eyes can mean only one thing for some Willamette Valley residents: allergy season has begun.
An unusually dry Oregon winter, coupled with several warm days in the Willamette Valley, have created a perfect storm of pollen according to local allergy experts. While the allergy season seems to have arrived a bit early, experts say it’s only by a couple of weeks and it’s not all that out of character, especially with the the recent weather conditions.
For those Willamette Valley residents who are already suffering from allergy-related itchy noses and eyes, here are a few tips for minimizing that irritation.
Stay indoors
Keep windows rolled up when driving
Take allergy medicine before you go outside
Purchase over-the-counter nose spray such as Flonase
Begin taking allergy medications before you feel symptoms
Wash hands often and avoid touching eyes and nose
Wear a mask while gardening or doing yard work
Judy Moran is a registered nurse who works out of a Eugene-based private practice called Oregon Allergy Associates. She said this year’s allergy season is off to an early start, but not that early.
“Nice, warm, windy weather just means more pollen,” Moran said. “Allergy season usually begins within a couple of weeks around the beginning of March so this really isn’t that abnormal.”
Moran said that although she can’t predict the weather, she doesn’t believe this allergy season will be any longer or more severe than in previous years.
How Does It Work
A vacuum pump pulls air through a small port that is directed into the wind. The air impacts onto a greased microscope slide inside the Burkard cylinder. The slide moves down a track in front of the airflow at 2 millimeters per hour. We usually load a slide on Monday morning and change it every weekday.;Each count reflects the previous 24 hours of air sampling.
An alternative, more complex adapter with sticky tape on a wheel allows up to seven days of unattended sampling, and is used to obtain weekend samples when daily data is desired, usually during the height of the pollen season.
After a slide has been exposed, a stain that is used to visualize the pollen is applied for microscopic identification. Each pollen grain seen on one full traverse of the slide is identified and counted at a magnification of 400 times greater than what a normal eye can see. A mathematical equation calculates the number of pollen grains per cubic meter of air sampled.
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Can You Develop Seasonal Allergies As An Adult
You can develop seasonal allergies at any time in your life, including adulthood. You can even become allergic to something youve never been allergic to before.
Its not always clear why some adults develop new allergies. Some reasons for adult-onset seasonal allergies could be:
- Reduced immune function. If youre sick, pregnant, or immunocompromised, you might be more susceptible to allergens.
- Moving to a new area of the country. You might be around trees or other plants you havent encountered before.
- Having greater exposure to allergens. A small amount of pollen may not bother you. But concentrated exposure could trigger an allergic reaction.
Which Allergens Are Captured
Windborne pollinating plants and trees are the most commonly allergenic, as opposed to the heavy, sticky pollen in flowers that rely on insects for pollination. Pollen counts are usually higher on warm, windy days. Windborne pollen can travel several miles, although greater concentrations of pollens are seen from trees and vegetation located in close proximity to the sampler.
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Common Seasonal Allergy Triggers
If you sneeze and cough during certain times of the year, you may have seasonal allergies. However, occasional allergies arent something you just have to live with.
In many areas of the United States, spring allergies begin in February and last until the early summer. Tree pollination begins earliest in the year followed by grass pollination later in the spring and summer and ragweed in the late summer and fall. In tropical climates, however, grass may pollinate throughout a good portion of the year. Mild winter temperatures can cause plants to pollinate early. A rainy spring can also promote rapid plant growth and lead to an increase in mold, causing symptoms to last well into the fall.
The most common culprit for fall allergies is ragweed, a plant that grows wild almost everywhere, but especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest. Ragweed blooms and releases pollen from August to November. In many areas of the country, ragweed pollen levels are highest in early to mid-September.
Other plants that trigger fall allergies include:
- Burning bush
- Sagebrush and mugwort
- Tumbleweed and Russian thistle
While the timing and severity of an allergy season vary across the country, the following climate factors also can influence how bad your symptoms might be:
Find expert care with an Allergist.
An allergist can pinpoint the cause and help you find relief.
Get Seasonal Allergy Relief No Matter Where You Live
In the spring, the warm weather will bring people outdoors to face one of the seasons biggest problems: tree pollen.;Grass Pollen follows later in spring into summer. Then in the late summer and early fall, weed pollen especially ragweed pollen can make you miserable.
There are also options available to prevent or treat allergy symptoms:;
- Over-the-counter or prescription allergy medicines such as antihistamines;
- Nasal corticosteroid sprays
- Immunotherapy allergy shots or tablets;for long-term treatment to reduce how severe your allergic reactions are;
Talk with your doctor;before allergy seasons begin to discuss which treatment is right for you.;;
The Impact of COVID-19
In 2020, fewer people were affected by pollen allergies. When the year started, experts thought weather and pollen would have significant effects. But by the spring, COVID-19 restrictions kept people inside more. This led to less pollen exposure. Children felt the least impact from seasonal allergies due to closed schools and less time spent outdoors.
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Confusing Allergies And Covid
One of the things doctors are also seeing this year is some confusion about allergy symptoms and early warning signs of COVID-19. Seasonal allergy symptoms can present with some of the same symptoms associated with coronavirus. Congestion, stuffy nose, feeling ill, and even the loss of smell may send more people searching online to check symptoms or seek medical attention than normal.
These symptoms can be present for those exhibiting symptoms of allergies or COVID:
- Cough
- Loss of smell or taste
- Shortness of breath
- Running Nose
- Sneezing
Skin rashes and chest pains are rare for either condition but have presented themselves at times. One significant difference is fever. Allergies dont cause fevers, while COVID symptoms are typically accompanied by a fever. Likewise, allergies typically include itchy eyes or nose while COVID patients do not.
More commonly, doctors say they see patients with colds or the flu that think they may have COVID-related symptoms. Healthcare providers say if youre not sure, you should always let a medical professional check you out. If you dont normally have allergy symptoms, but you seem to be suffering this year, you should also get a check-up.
