Allergies
Q: Are there other causes of fall allergies besides ragweed?
A: There are several other weeds that we occasionally find people are allergic to, such as pigweed, or Russian thistle, a few others here and there. But really, it’s ragweed, hands down. Many people think goldenrod is the problem, but it’s ragweed, which often is found right beside goldenrod.
There are also plenty of different kinds of mold that cause allergies. We test for about 10 different weeds and 30 different molds.
Q: Is there anything about the fall season unique to those with asthma?
A: Not the season as much as there are many new treatments. The asthma treatments that have come down the pipe lately have been phenomenal; it has made a world of difference. In the past, very often we only had albuterol (taken through inhalers) and people sucked that down, and there are side effects. Or steroids, which are full of side effects.
Q: So do these new treatments allow people to be free of inhalers?
A: They’re usually injections, about once a month. But people still have the inhalers as backups.
Q: I have seen stories that forecast how bad an allergy season will be. How is that done?
A: That’s Farmer’s Almanac stuff, you can’t predict that. If it’s been raining a ton, every day the rain washes pollen out of the air, so you’ll feel good on a nice day after a rainfall. If you see a little wind pick up, and it’s a sunny day, you’ll be a mess.
I see people put the pollen count on TV. I mean, come on, you don’t have to see a pollen count to know how you feel.
Q: Do you have any tips for how people can minimize their symptoms?
A: Pollen counts are highest in the early morning, when the humidity lightens up. So don’t sleep with your windows open, use your air conditioner, or your nose and throat are going to be bathing in pollen. It may feel wonderful to have the windows open on a nice, cool morning, but it’s not healthy. kgordon@dispatch.com @kgdispatch