From Deseret News archives:
Sneezing yet? Pollen counts up
Despite showers today, it's going to get worse
"This is not unusual," said Dr. Duane Harris, an allergy specialist at Intermountain Allergy and Asthma, which does the state's official pollen count from its collection site in Draper. "It's tree season and that's what we're seeing, although the high grass pollen counts are (here) a little early."
Wednesday, eight different types of pollen were in the high to extremely high range, heralding severe discomfort for allergy sufferers who weren't taking precautions. The high counts included popular trees like maple, oak and birch, and grass pollens, which are a couple weeks early this year.
"Trees drive us crazy this time of year," said Harris. "The saving grace is cedar is not very high right now. That tends to be the worst."
And the cedar pollen counts will likely catch up later this month, about the time that grass pollen, cleared out briefly by any cold spell, gets going strong again, he said.
Typically, pollens and the allergies they bring are worst in late May and early June.
Allergy sufferers can take steps to reduce the impact of allergens on their lives, according to Harris. Start with avoidance. If you know what you're allergic to, try to stay away from it. That means people who have grass allergies should get someone else to mow the lawn, for instance.
Harris and his colleagues also counsel people who sleep with the windows open to break that habit, especially in the early morning hours when pollination is most active. If you're working outdoors, shower when you come in and launder your clothes then, too. Don't fold them neatly and put them on other things so you're spreading pollen around.
On a day when allergies make you miserable, shower before going to bed or you'll be "sleeping in a layer of pollen."
About 15 to 18 percent of adults are believed to suffer at least some seasonal allergies. And while the tendency runs in families, children are not necessarily allergic to the same things that plague a parent.
Someone with mild allergies, controllable with an over-the-counter medication, probably doesn't need to see a specialist. But anyone with both seasonal allergies and asthma should be under a doctor's care for it. And anyone who's really miserable when pollen counts are high should consider being treated. Besides medications that bring relief, Harris said, people can also be desensitized through a long course of shots, a process that typically provides some relief for years at a time. The shots work best to address insect-venom allergies, followed by pollen allergies and then those who react to animal dander and other things.
While it may take a few years of shots to get results, relief usually lasts much longer — "a longer benefit you never see with medicines."
And if you think that you don't live near an offending tree or plant, think again, if you're allergic. Pollen is light and can be blown dozens, even hundreds of miles. Years ago, an allergist taking a cruise from New York to London measured pollen along the way, and found it 400 miles from shore, Harris said.
E-mail: lois@desnews.com
