ASK* Us About Your Fall Allergies
Friday, September 4th, 2015
ASK* Us About Your Fall Allergies
While spring allergies get a lot of attention, fall may not bring the relief you are hoping for from your allergies. Allergies are caused by the immune system treating an allergen as a foreign invader. This chemical reaction produces histamine that travels through the blood causing allergy symptoms.
The culprits during the fall include: ragweed and other plants that pollinate this time of year; mold due to the falling, decaying leaves; warm weather that wants to linger; and, back-to-school allergens are all be on the forefront causing fall allergies.
Ragweed: People allergic to ragweed may find their nasal allergies as well as their asthma becoming a problem in the fall. Ragweed allergies start to appear in mid-August and can remain until the first hard freeze. A single ragweed plant can produce up to 1 billion lightweight pollen grains that easily float through the air.
Mold: Falling and decaying leaves cause problems in the fall for people who suffer from allergies to mold. Raking will stirs up the ragweed pollen and mold from the leaves, hitting sufferers with two major allergens that can cause nasal allergies and asthma symptoms. Avoiding raking leaves is important if you suffer from these allergens, but if you must rake, wearing a mask is important. If you have questions about the most effective masks, give us a call.
Continuing summer-like temperatures: If the temperature continues to stay warm longer into the fall, symptoms caused by grasses can linger. Humidity or dry and windy weather can also the mold count higher.
School allergens: Once children return to school, there are many allergens they must manage or avoid. Classroom irritants that can flare nasal allergies include chalk dust and classroom pets. Students with food allergies also must be very diligent to avoid their allergens each day during snack and in the lunchroom. Exercise-induced bronchospasm may cause problems for children at recess or during physical education class. Talk with your child and their teachers about what causes their allergies and asthma, and how they can avoid these triggers. School forms should be filled out for any emergency medication such as rescue inhalers and epinephrine. Contact us if you need your child’s forms completed for school.
Prompt diagnosis and starting medication or immunotherapy before you have symptoms is important for managing your allergies and asthma. Give us a call at 865-588-2713 to schedule an appointment and work to control your symptoms before they control you.
*Allergy Specialists of Knoxville (ASK)
References:
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. (2011). Ragweed plants packed with pollen. Retrieved from: http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Libraries/EL-ragweed-patient.pdf
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. (2014). Four things you might not know about fall allergies. Retrieved from: http://acaai.org/news/four-things-you-might-not-know-about-fall-allergies
