Fall pollen season in full force
Imagine if you will a beautiful fall afternoon, where you are walking down the MKT Trail. It’s not only beautiful, but there’s a steady breeze with birds chirping. All of a sudden you stop and have a massive sneeze fit. You are one of 23 million Americans that are a victim to ragweed. It’s a pollen that is different from other pollen’s in that it is dispersed through the air.
“A lot of people have ragweed allergies,” Providence Urgent Care Dr. Scott Schultz said. “The pollen gets in the air and there is so much of it and it causes a lot of symptoms associated with allergies.”
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology those symptoms are numerous. They can include anything from sneezing, running nose, nasal congestion, headaches, irritated eyes, and an itchy throat.
“So, if you know that you have fall allergies and you know that Ragweed is going to be coming or has already started to be here, usually kind of mid-August–a great way to kind of start helping out so you don’t get to far behind is you can start taking an antihistamine everyday,” said Schultz. “There are several over the counter ones, I would use a generic one such as Loratadine.”
Ragweed allergies are common because of the shape of the pollen, it has a spiky appearance to it. These spikes allow it to be picked up in the nasal cavity a lot easier than other pollen and mold spores. Many people have good and bad days during allergy seasons. The good days typically come during rain, which is good news for Mid-Missouri as rain will be evident all week. The latest pollen outlook forecast has the area seeing lower levels of pollen through Wednesday, before the counts rise through the rest of the week.
