Yes, This Is a Particularly Dire Year for Seasonal Allergies.
This allergy season is terrible, isn’t it? I’ve been sneezing stupidly over the past couple of weeks, and at least from the anecdotes, here in New York, half of the people I know break their eyes and drown themselves in neti-pots. But is it worse than usual this year, or am I just a big kid? I spoke with Sudan Patel , assistant professor of allergy and immunology at New York University, to share his thoughts on whether this season is going to be as bad as it sounds. And find out what to do about it.
Confirmed: This is terrible.
“ They’re pretty bad this year,” Patel said. “One of the reasons allergy seasons are getting worse is because of global warming and the accumulation of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, which makes plants more fertile. And because they are more fertile, they give off more pollen at the beginning of the season. Mild winters combined with rainfall … and then we had abnormally high temperatures throughout the spring season that made the plants grow and grow. ” He pauses. “All of this plays a role in making patients feel unhappy.”
So what can we do to make ourselves feel better? Patel lays out typical remedies for allergy sufferers.
1. Find out what you are really allergic to.
“The first thing to know is what you are allergic to. Dust mites or cockroaches can exacerbate spring allergies, ”he says. If you’re unhappy, talk to an allergist.
2. Close the windows.
I know it’s spring, it’s beautiful, you want some fresh air. But close the windows, especially at night. “It’s actually at dawn when the trees start dropping pollen and it gets into your house. Therefore, I advise using an air conditioner or a fan, because they have a filter element that prevents pollen from entering, ”says Patel.
3. Take a shower before bed.
And wash your hair, says Patel. “That way, you won’t drag all the pollen into your pillow and rub your face with it all night.”
4. Start any medication two months ago.
All allergy medications work best if you start taking them before symptoms start and apply them consistently throughout the season. Start looking for an online pollen tracker around March or April and start taking any medication until you are completely and inflamed. “You won’t be hurt as badly when the trees are fully blooming,” says Patel.
5. But what drugs?
“The first line of defense is new antihistamines,” Patel says. (He no longer recommends older drugs that cause drowsiness, such as Benadryl.) Of the newer over-the-counter antihistamines, you have basically four options: cetirizine (Zyrtec), levocetirizine (Xizal), fexofenadine (Allegra), and loratadine (Claritin). ). Patel says that if you have nasal congestion, you need one with a D next to it, and “some patients will need a layer of pills and nasal steroids such as flonase, nasacort, or rinocort.”
6. Don’t scratch your eyes.
Instead, apply a cool compress to your eyes. Brushing releases more histamine and directs pollen to the tissues.
7. Change HVAC filters twice a year.
“Air purifiers and the like don’t do anything, so I don’t recommend them to patients. It’s really important to just change the air filter in your oven or air conditioner. “
8. Safety glasses.
My morning jog is now more like a morning crunch as I cling to my current eyes and ask Patel about wearing oversized goggles or goggles to keep pollen out. He says he has had patients who are fortunate enough to wear protective goggles. “It looks a little funny, but glasses can keep pollen out of your eyes. Allergy eye drops (like ketotifen) [will also help]. “
9. Personnel.
The course of injections is the only cure for seasonal allergies. It takes three to five years of regular vaccinations for allergy symptoms to go away forever, but patients begin to feel relief from symptoms after two to six months.
So what does it mean to move forward? Will humanity in a hundred years simply go out in a fit of sneezing? Does Dr. Patel see things are getting better? He replies: “Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to get better. I think the situation will get worse because many environmental regulations are being canceled. “
Pollution exacerbates seasonal allergies: “Polluted cities do contain ‘superallergens’. Things like diesel exhaust particles actually make the allergen much stronger. ” So the same amount of pollen in New York is much worse than in Omaha. Lucky Nebraskans, Sad New Yorkers. When the planet gets twenty degrees hotter and becomes a planet of really lush plants and little sneezing people, I hope they will make room for us city dwellers.