|
Allergy Relief / Seasonal Allergy / Springtime suffering
Springtime suffering
Jennifer Gentile
With the arrival of spring in Solano County, symptoms like sneezing, sniffling and watery eyes are making a fair number of local residents miserable.
"Certainly, we are in the height of allergy season," Mark Smith, a pharmacist at Raley's Supermarket in Vacaville, said Wednesday. Allergy medicines of all kinds, he added, "are flying off the shelf with everything in bloom (outside)."
The situation was the same over at Vacaville's Target store, according to pharmacist Ha Hua. Asked if she'd seen an influx of allergy sufferers lately, Hua replied, "definitely - especially over the weekend."
The abundance of pollen from trees, grasses and weeds this time of year is often the culprit behind seasonal allergies. Dr. Robert R. Freinkel, an allergy specialist who treats Solano County patients, said allergy seasons "always vary with the rain, each year is different."
"Right now, we're seeing a lot of cedar and juniper," he said. Some "big heavy hitters that are going to come," he added, are mulberry and oak.
"It's going to get a lot worse" before it gets better, Freinkel predicted.
Dr. Dinesh Nagar with NorthBay Healthcare said, "We're getting a lot of patients coming in with allergies - runny noses and sinus inflammation."
Nagar added that a lot of patients may think they have a cold or a flu, or even an infection. The symptoms are often similar, he said, which is why doctors must rely on patient history and physical exams to be sure.
Freinkel pointed out that while allergies may be to blame for a stuffy nose, an itchy throat, or even asthma-related symptoms, "they do not usually cause anything remotely resembling a fever." Chronic symptoms, and symptoms that come and go with the seasons, are likely due to allergies.
Local drug stores are stocked with all manner of products to treat allergy-related symptoms, from familiar standbys like Sudafed and Claritin to newer releases like Zyrtec, which just became available over the counter. Nagar cautioned against starting a drug regimen "before consulting your physician."
"I really think that when symptoms come on," he said, "(patients should) meet with their physician and ensure you are treating them appropriately."
Isolating triggers is key to allergy treatment, according to Nagar. Once triggers are pinpointed, he advises patients to avoid them as much as possible, although that may be difficult with outdoor allergies.
According to Dr. Emerita Brigino-Buenaventura, with Kaiser Per-manente in Vallejo, closing windows and foregoing outdoor activities when pollen counts are high can help limit exposure. She also said that patients using nasal sprays to treat their allergies want to start using them as early as possible, preferably before the season starts.
"Allergies are like a running horse," she said, explaining that they are much harder to stop as they gain momentum.
From http://www.thereporter.com/ci_8558276?source=most_
Previous Page: Allergy Standards LTD to Attend 2008 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Imm Next Page: Test for allergies before buying hairy pets
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this site is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Please see your physician for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition.
|
