Summer allergies: When weeds and grasses are out to get-choo
By: Joe Tougas
Special to The Examiner
June 9, 2009
Simple measures to help slow the runny eyes, noses and other signs of summer
The good news for summer allergy sufferers is usually winter.
The other three seasons aren’t much help. Spring is tree pollinating time, the heart of summer gets grass pollinating and early fall is all about weed pollen. With the overlaps, summer allergies are basically three seasons tag-teaming against one head.
Here’s what’s going on in that head of yours: Grasses and weeds shoot out pollen — the male reproductive cells — which gets nabbed in the noses of a good number of people whose immune systems mistakenly see the pollen as an invader.
The system then releases antibodies (which are on hand to combat viruses, bacteria and life-threatening organisms), which then attack these allergens. This process triggers the release of histamines into the blood, which in turn produce the itchy eyes, wild sneezing and other great excuses for not weeding the garden.
In the lush agricultural and woodland area of Mankato, Minn., nearly every day of May saw a high tree pollen count. Here, Dr. Vasan Ramanuja is an allergist whose advice to patients includes giving some over-the-counter nasal cleansing systems a try.
There are several to choose from, from the Neti pot to products such as SinusRinse. Ramanuja says the latter is a more efficient style of sinus rinsing, using positive pressure and irrigation versus gravity. Neti pots involve tilting the head and pouring a warm water/saline solution mix into one nostril and letting the water work its way out of the opposite nostril or mouth. A similar but more assertive treatment involves squirting the solution up into a nostril (that’s the positive pressure).
“A lot of people find the Neti pot helpful, and they find it more tolerable than the one involving positive pressure,” Ramanuja says. “Both options provide a way of cleansing out irritants and allergens that deposit in the nose and also help reduce congestion by removing excess amounts of mucus from the nose and sinuses.”
There are also plenty of environmental measures to take that would help: Because pollen attaches to dust, keep the home as dust-free as possible; use a clothes dryer instead of a clothesline; try to avoid being outside on warm, dry breezy days. Ramanuja says allergy sufferers would do well to keep the windows closed in both the home and cars during pollen season.
“And if someone’s spending a lot of time outdoors in the pollen season, they should shower and wash their hair before going to bed. That gets rid of all the pollens that might otherwise land on their bed.” And, Ramanuja adds, keep the pets off the bed.
“Pollen can even deposit on pet fur. So if that’s the case, regularly wash the dog and discourage the animal from sleeping in the same bed as you.”
If the holistic approach doesn’t completely take hold and it’s time for the trip to the drugstore, Ramanuja suggests using the long-acting antihistamines versus the “temporary relief” products. The so-called second-generation antihistamines (first generation being products such as Benadryl) appear to cause much less drowsiness, Ramanuja says.
Joe Tougas has written for the Blueroad Reader, Minnesota State University Today and Static magazine.
