The cold winter and weather are coming to an end, and spring is coming. Yay! But that also means Spring allergies and intolerances will be making an appearance. For so many, this can cause a lot of anticipatory stress of unpleasant seasonal symptoms like coughing, sneezing, congestion, swollen and watery eyes, wheezing, hives, itching, sinus problems and more.
Approximately 81 million people in the US have been diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis (67 million adults, 14 million children.) Allergic rhinitis affects about 16 million people in the UK, and globally, over 400 million people suffer from seasonal allergies. That’s a lot of runny noses, sneezes, coughs, watery eyes and itches. Many people experience severe environmental allergies, which can trigger asthma and more severe symptoms, while others have more mild seasonal allergies or environmental sensitivities.
What are seasonal allergies?
Seasonal allergies, like other types of allergies, develop when the body’s immune system overreacts to something in the environment, which happens quite often during the Spring. The timing and severity of the allergy season vary, but it is usually caused by trees, grasses, flowers, ragweed, pollen and moulds. When people with allergies breathe in the air with a substance they are allergic to, it gets stuck to the mucus In the nasal membranes, causing inflammation to the nose, eyes, and upper respiratory tract.
The biggest Spring allergy trigger is pollen. Trees, grasses, and weeds release pollen into the air to fertilize other plants. When they get into the nose of someone who has an allergy, it triggers the immune system, and chemicals called histamines are released into the blood. Histamines trigger the unpleasant symptoms that come with spring allergies. Unfortunately, pollen can travel for miles, so allergies can even be triggered from a distance.
So, how do we manage seasonal allergies?
Lifestyle management for allergies
Some lifestyle management strategies for allergies include monitoring pollen and mold counts, keeping windows and doors shut as much as possible during allergy season, bathing (including hair washing and changing clothes) after working or playing outdoors and wearing an N95 filtered mask with extended outdoor exposure or mowing the lawn. Over-the-counter antihistamines, Decongestants, nasal sprays, sinus rinses, eye drops, supplements and certain herbs like Quercetin, NAC, stinging nettle and turmeric are some ways to manage allergy symptoms. For people with symptoms that do not respond to over-the-counter and natural remedies, it is important to get allergy testing done to pinpoint exact allergens.
Get the right Allergy testing!
First and foremost, get the right testing! Knowing your seasonal allergic triggers is very helpful so that you are able to take steps to lessen your exposure and reactions. Luckily, we have an amazing at-home allergy test that tests for 38 of the most common allergies, including food, drink and environmental allergies.
This easy at-home blood spot test is a fast and cost-effective way to screen for allergies. This test uses ELISA testing for raised IgE-antibodies, which offers accurate and validated lab results. Raised IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies are a recognized indicator of an allergic reaction. Just a few spots of blood are required using a pin-prick lancet within the kit. Your sample will be sent to the lab in the envelope provided, and you will receive results from the lab in your email in the allergytest app in under seven days. If you receive positive results, you can now determine allergic triggers and take the steps to mitigate exposure. As always, we recommend following up with your licensed medical practitioner to further investigate your allergies and treatment.
