Allergies: The neverending seasonal struggle

Spring, winter, summer, or fall the threat of allergies are a very real thing. From young to old, lately it seems like everyone has an allergy. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, “roughly 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year.” This includes asthma, and other allergic conditions such as rhinitis, eczema, and food allergies.

 When an allergen, such as pollen or pet dander, enters your body, your immune system mistakenly identifies this as harmful. This causes an allergic reaction.  

 According to Yale Medicine, “During the spring and summer months, allergens such as ragweed, tree, and grass pollen start to grow, where in the fall and winter months it molds and turns to dust.”

Seasonal allergies can cause sneezing, itching, congestion, runny nose, and irritated eyes. If your allergy is related to food or exposure to something, anaphylactic shock may occur as well. 

Anaphylactic shock is a reaction your body experiences when you become hypersensitive to an allergen. Resulting in life-threatening events, so it’s important to take these symptoms seriously.   

UACHS Senior, Brauly Martinez who is an allergy sufferer has a variety of symptoms she suffers through.  

“ My tonsils are inflamed, my eyes get super itchy and my sinuses cover up,” said Martinez. “I end up taking Benadryl, especially when I lose my sense of taste and get headaches.” 

There are many over the counter medications you can get to help you with your allergies. Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin are some of the more popular ones. 

According to the Allergy Asthma Network.org, “the main purpose of having allergy medicine is to help block histamines, which helps with temporarily stopping allergy symptoms.” 

However, while they help with allergy symptoms, they come with their own set of different side effects such as drowsiness, dry mouth and eyes, low blood pressure and more.

Aside from taking medication, another way to deal with allergies is to frequently clean your clothing. This way pollen can’t stick to you. 

Avoid any chores that have to do with the outside that stirs up allergies. Don’t leave your window open and wear sunglasses outside more often to block particles from entering your eyes. 

Make sure you clean the dust mites that you have in your room because at night once you relax, it can cause your allergies to affect you more.

  The severity of allergies varies from person to person knowing what activates yours and taking precautions can ultimately save you a ton of itchy discomfort.  Try taking some precautions such as limiting your exposure to outdoors and taking some nasal irrigation can help stop allergic reactions.