Announcement: Spring is Allergy Season

Spring brings a variety of health concerns, including allergic reactions to airborne pollen and asthma.   Each spring, tiny particles known as pollen are released from trees, grasses, and weeds.  Pollen is transported by wind and when we breathe them in they can trigger an allergic reaction known as Pollen Allergy or Hay Fever.  During an allergic reaction you may feel a number of uncomfortable symptoms such as sneezing; nasal congestion; coughing; itchy and watery eyes; runny nose; itchy throat; itchy skin; hives; fatigue; irritability; and allergic shiners (dark rings under the eyes caused from restricted blood flow near the sinuses).

You can’t avoid the outside world but there are ways to minimize pollen exposure.  The key to preventing symptoms is knowing when the pollen count is high and avoiding outside exposure as much as possible.  Pollen counts tend to be highest early in the morning on warm, breezy days so scheduling your errands or family activities for later in the day can help lessen the exposure.  Pets can bring pollen indoors on their fur, so if you have a pet that comes in and out of the house make sure to wipe off its fur before it comes back in.  Also, do not hang your clothes out to dry outdoors during high pollen days. You will track pollen indoors.

Thankfully, not everyone is allergic to pollen. But if you are one of the unfortunate ones, here are a few resources that can help you minimize exposure on high pollen days:

The Pollen.com website provides allergy forecasts, educational material, weather forecasts,  and has a number of tools and downloads you can take advantage of to stay aware of the allergy  conditions in your local area.

Like the Pollen.com site, Azma.com provides asthma forecasts, educational material, weather forecasts, and has an asthma alert system you can sign up for to be notified regarding your local asthma and air quality index.

Call us if you want more information about pollen allergies! 760-891-3510