What time of the year is allergy season? Actually, it's all
year long for some allergy sufferers. Learn the difference
between seasonal and year-round allergies, and the treatments
available for both.
When did Yaakov first realize that he had allergies? He
really can't remember, because he's been an allergy sufferer
all his life.
Like millions of people, Yaakov spent much of his life trying
to combat his symptoms.
He took a lot of Sudafed. He took a lot of antihistamine. He
tried everything, staying away from parks when it was hay
fever season, making sure he didn't go to someone's home who
had a cat and all the rest. It was hard.
Yaakov has both seasonal and chronic allergies. But just what
is an allergy?
Allergy is when your immune system overreacts to normal,
common substances. Normal people don't overreact to peanuts
and don't overreact to grass pollen. But that is the problem
of the allergic person.
On the first exposure, nothing happens. But on repeat
exposures, whether it's the second exposure or the twelfth
exposure, the body produces an antibody which starts a whole
cascade of events.
When grass pollen enters, it binds with this allergy
antibody, which releases a lot of chemicals including
histamine. It also induces a lot of itching, watery eyes, and
sneezing.
A common misperception about allergies is that they only
become active at certain times of the year.
There are two types of allergy problems. One is seasonal, and
it happens typically in the spring and is due to tree pollen.
In the summer it's due to grass pollen, and in the fall it's
due to the pollens of weeds, notoriously ragweed.
However, in addition, a lot of allergies are what we call
perennial. They're there throughout the entire year. People
are allergic, for example to dust mites in their home, or to
the pets in their home. In some areas cockroach allergy is a
major problem. Mold allergy can also be a major problem.
For many allergy sufferers, everyday life can be negatively
affected by their symptoms.
Mowing the lawn may not be a great task for somebody who's
grass allergic. And it's been shown in people who have
allergic disease that they may be more irritable, more angry,
more frustrated. When you're feeling rundown, tired and itchy
-- just generally yucky from your allergies -- and people
bother you, you have a short temper.
The good news for those with allergies is that there are a
variety of medical treatments and ways to modify the
environment, that can control symptoms.
There are over-the-counter nasal sprays such as Nasalcrom,
and there are the prescription nose sprays such as the
topical steroid sprays.
Other medications include the antihistamines. Many sold over
the counter, like Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, and Dimetapp are
sedating, meaning they can cause sleepiness. Those prescribed
by doctors are usually non-sedating. These medications can
help improve an allergy sufferer's quality of life. A non-
sedating medication, Claritin, is available over-the-counter
in America.
If you take an effective medication, you can show improvement
in physical ability, ability to sleep, ability to have less
emotional upset, and ability to carry on various
activities.
But medications alone are often not enough. Many allergy
sufferers have to learn to avoid the things that trigger
their symptoms.
Patients with cats are the curse and bane of an allergy
physician's existence. They probably also sustain an awful
lot of allergy practices. If someone who is genetically prone
to allergies gets a cat, it's only a matter of time and
usually by six months that person's allergy system has seen
the cat and become allergic to it. Then the problem is
whether to get rid of the cat or to treat the symptoms.
The combination of managing their environment, knowing their
allergy triggers, and using their medicine when necessary,
can significantly improve the quality of life of many people
with allergies.
2004 Dr. Reuven Bruner. All Rights Reserved. For more
information contact him at: POB 1903, Jerusalem, 91314,
Israel; Tel: (02) 652-7684; Mobile: 052 865-821; Fax: (02)
652-7227; Email: dr_bruner@hotmail.com
