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Allergy season at its worst in the US

By jeremyc | June 10, 2011

Proving all the poets wrong, spring is far removed from welcome for Americans who suffer from allergies. Frequent changes in climate including heavy snowfall and rains have caused trees to pollinate longer while a sudden change of warm weather in other parts of the country has brought about robust release of pollens. Random deluges coupled with flood have also increased the mold volume.

People are frequenting the offices of allergy specialists all over America with seasonal allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, stuffy noses and plugged ears helping pharmacists earn that extra dollar. The spring of 2011 is turning out to be a worst nightmare for nearly 35 million Americans hit by hay fever, popularly known as seasonal allergic rhinitis. Adding to the woes of the patients doing the rounds of hospitals not is the news that not only is the allergy season failing to show any sign of ending in the near future, it may in fact take a turn for the worse.

70 years old Lynne Ritchie is among the many suffering from the severe allergy season. As she takes her medicine from the counter of a Manhattan drugstore Ritchie says that the season seems to be worsening every week. A warning has been issued by allergy specialists about the difficult season all over the country.

Making things worse pollen counts and allergy attacks are not uniform throughout the country. A wet winter followed by an equally dry spring produced perfect conditions for storms. Areas located to the east of the Mississippi River experienced the wettest April since 1895. Molds growing under fallen leaves and blooming trees are making things difficult for people prone to multiple airborne allergens. Knoxville,Tenn, Lousiville,Ky and Charlotte, N.C. have made it to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation’s  list of “2011 spring allergy capitals.”

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation used a mechanism to measure airborne grass, weed pollen and tree pollens, mold spores and came out with statistics showing medications used on each patients and the total number of allergy specialists inhabiting per capita.

Continuous rain accompanied by heat waves and Santa Ana winds increased  the miseries of people in Los Angeles while Chicago saw the highest pollen count in the past three years. People who haven’t suffered from allergies in the last few years have also fallen prey this time. The allergy bouts are at times so severe that even medications are failing to generate any effect and multiple drugs ranging from eye drops to nasal drops are proving to be insufficient in fighting the condition.

However, specialists suggest that following certain precautions can lessen the impact. Hair and clothes should be washed regularly to get rid of pollens. Even pets should be kept in rooms as their hair can catch pollens. Doors and windows should be kept fastened to stop the breeze from entering and any kind of exposure to pollen-laden air should be avoided. One can take recourse to glares while going out as doing so may prevent pollen grains from entering the eyes. However, if all these precautions fail to protect you, you should rush to you nearby allergy specialist as soon as you notice the slightest symptom of an allergy.

Topics: | Allergies |

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