‘Tis the Sneezin’: Allergy Season Has Been Fairly Mild Because of Colder Weather and Rain, but the Pollen Count is Often High

By Karen Garloch, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

May 6–Tree pollen’s in the air, coating cars with that familiar yellow-green dust and sending many Charlotteans into fits of sneezing and sniffling.

But thanks to regular rain that’s helped keep pollen down, this spring’s allergy season has been relatively mild.

In April, the tree pollen count stayed high for only a few days before dropping to zero when rain cleared the air.

“It’s been really kind of up and down this spring,” said Dr. John Klimas, an allergist whose office, Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center, measures pollen regularly. “My perception from just listening to patients is that it’s been a little milder than last year.”

That does little to console Michael Stittsworth, 39, a Bank of America executive who’s training for a triathlon.

After a 50-mile bike ride three Sundays ago, Stittsworth developed a sore throat and nasal congestion. The next day, he left work several hours early after developing “a massive headache.”

“I went home and just slept,” said Stittsworth, who takes traditional allergy medicines and shots. “It typically hits me once a year in the spring.”

He’s one of an estimated 40 million Americans who have allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. There’s no cure, and the best treatment is to avoid pollen. But that’s tough in the Southeast, where spring stretches from February through June.

Problem pollens don’t come from flowering trees, which are pollinated by insects, but from hardwoods such as oaks, whose reproductive cycles depend on microscopic pollen particles.

In Charlotte, oak, birch and pine pollen are prevalent now. Pine pollen, although more visible, is heavier and doesn’t cause as much trouble as the others.

Although trees will finish pollinating soon, there’s no relief in sight.

Grass pollen just started coming out, and it lasts through November.

A Top 25 city

–Charlotte often finds itself in the Top 10 spring allergy capitals, as ranked by the Washington-based Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. But this year, Charlotte dropped to 23rd among the 100 biggest U.S. cities.Rankings are based on a city’s pollen scores as well as the sales of allergy medicines and the availability of board-certified allergists. Even slight changes in those factors can rearrange the whole list.

There is one constant.

Most of the Top 50 cities are in the Southeast.

Two other Carolinas cities beat Charlotte this year; Greensboro ranked second and Greenville, S.C., 17th.

Details: 800-7-ASTHMA (727-8462); www.aafa.org.

Allergy treatments range from traditional prescription and over-the-counter medicines to alternative therapies, such as herbs and acupuncture. A review:

–Charlotte allergist John Klimas said many of his patients use non-sedating antihistamines, such as Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec, in combination with nasal steroids, such as Flonase and Nasonex.

If that doesn’t provide enough relief, patients can get immunotherapy or allergy shots to suppress the body’s reaction to particular allergens.

–Many allergy sufferers also get relief from nasal irrigation with warm salt water to ease symptoms and reduce the risk of sinus infection. Saline solution can be purchased or prepared at home — one teaspoon of non-iodized salt for 8 ounces of warm water. Squirt the water, or pour it, in one nostril and out the other. (See drweilselfhealing.com.)

–Advocates of alternative therapies also suggest treating symptoms with stinging nettles or butterbur, herbs that are sold in health food stores. Quercetin, a flavonoid compound found in apples and onions, can help prevent symptoms by reducing the body’s inflammatory response to allergens, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, the well-known advocate of integrative medicine. For best effect, allergy sufferers should begin using it a few weeks before allergy season starts.

–Acupuncture can also help, according to Weil’s Web site. It quotes a 2004 study that found acupuncture eased symptoms for adults with hay fever who had weekly acupuncture sessions while taking a customized Chinese herbal formula.

Weil says allergies are a “learned immune response” that can be “unlearned” through mind-body methods such as guided imagery and hypnosis. He cites a 2005 study in which people with hay fever who practiced self-hypnosis regularly needed less allergy medication.

–Avoiding allergens is the best way to prevent symptoms. Do this by staying indoors, especially during peak pollen hours, keeping doors and windows closed, changing clothes after outdoor activity, wearing a mask when mowing and using a high-grade filter for your air conditioner.

Diet

Can a healthy diet improve allergy symptoms?

Practitioners of what is becoming known as “integrative medicine” think so.

Because hay fever is inflammation of nasal membranes, an anti-inflammatory diet can play an important role in reducing allergic reactions, said Dr. Chris Magryta, a Salisbury pediatrician.

Magryta recommends increasing omega-3 fats (found in wild salmon, freshly ground flax seeds and fish oil supplements) and antioxidant-rich produce, such as berries and dark leafy greens.

He also recommends cutting back on dairy products, polyunsaturated vegetable oils and trans fats.

Miriam Basso of Salisbury said her 12-year-old twin son Jason has benefited from a more Mediterranean diet, recommended by Magryta. “He eats very healthy. A lot of vegetables and a lot of fruit,” she said.

Jason, who was diagnosed with allergies and asthma in kindergarten, also takes traditional medicines — including the antihistamine Zyrtec and Pulmicort, an inhaled steroid — that keep him symptom-free most of the time.

But after a bout of flu in January, he suffered an asthma flare-up that required five days of prednisone treatment. That’s when Magryta and Basso sat down to reassess.

“He said, ‘OK, what happened? We have done everything for him. You have no carpet. No pets. Nobody smokes in your house. Let’s talk about your cooking,’ ” Basso said.

Magryta recommended more fruits and vegetables, along with vitamins and fish oil.

“That’s been working really good,” said Basso, even though she has to “get really tricky” about hiding certain unpopular vegetables.

But the effort has paid off, Basso said. Jason hasn’t had any problems for three months, and he’s been able to cut back by half of his dose of Pulmicort.

“Very soon,” Basso said, “we’ll probably be able to get rid of the Zyrtec.” 2E

Can a healthy diet help relieve symptoms?

Which medications or alternative methods are best?

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