Spring is a tough time for those of us with seasonal allergies. Grass, weed and tree pollens run high and we react with watery eyes, sneezing, stuffy nose, and itchy throat, for some of us even asthma. If you or someone you love suffers with seasonal allergies, you already know to avoid exposure by:
- keeping doors & windows closed
- staying indoors during high counts
- using the AC but not the humidifier
- showering and changing clothes after being outside during high pollen days
- washing your sheets in hot water once a week
- vacuuming or running an air filter regularly
- wearing a mask during gardening
- avoiding gardening and mowing altogether on high count days
We spoke with the allergy experts at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates [CEENTA] to get some scoop on things you may not already know about allergies. CEENTA has been the region’s premier eye, ear, nose, and throat care provider since 1923, with nearly 50 ENT doctors in almost 20 locations across North and South Carolina. Many of these doctors are allergy specialists who provide a variety of allergy services including allergy tests and allergy treatments. Here’s what we learned:
Rain Doesn’t Necessarily Help With Your Pollen Allergies
When it rains, the pollen that rests on the ground and our cars is washed away and the rainfall also can help prevent pollen from blowing through the air. In addition, after it rains, the humidity in the air helps keep pollen counts down, too. “However, that relief is short-lived,” CEENTA allergy specialist Roy Lewis, MD, said. “The pollen count will go back to the same level, if not higher, the next day.“
If you have grass or weed allergies, rainfall can actually break apart their pollens into smaller clumps, which can disperse quickly and cause a sharp rise in allergy symptoms. And of course, mold and dust mite allergies thrive in damp environments, so it’s important to keep living areas dry and clean during rainy periods to minimize any allergy issues. “Fortunately, any elevation in mold and dust mite symptoms won’t affect most patients too badly,” Dr. Lewis explains.
Allergies Can Cause You to Lose Your Voice
You’re probably well aware that Spring allergy symptoms include sneezing, nasal stuffiness, a runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, and coughing. But did you know that allergies can also affect your voice in several ways, and even cause you to lose your voice? First, allergens themselves can irritate and enflame the vocal cords, which can cause hoarseness. Second, the congestion from a stuffed nose or postnasal drip can make it difficult to breathe easily. Finally, even your allergy medicines can affect your voice. Antihistamines dry up the mucus in your body, and while this helps relieve congestion, it also dries up the layer of mucus that protects your vocal cords. If your vocal cords are dry they can stiffen or inflame, which can make your voice raspy.
So what can you do to protect your voice from allergens? The first thing is to avoid allergens and keep your home as allergen-free as possible. If you still need medicine, use medicines that won’t affect your mucus levels.
“There are many treatment options for allergies,” CEENTA Otolaryngologist S. Brett Heavner, MD, said. “For professional voice users, topical medications like nasal steroids and nasal antihistamines seem to work better since they have less of a drying effect on the throat and voice.” Nasal steroid sprays such as Flonase, Rhinocort, and Nasacort are effective in treating allergies. Some pills, such as Singulair and other leukotrienes, can be taken at night and won’t dry out your vocal cords the way antihistamines would.
You Probably Won’t “Outgrow” Your Seasonal Allergies Until You’re Pretty Old
Allergies are common in children, and given the amount of time they spend outside it makes sense for them to exhibit symptoms more frequently than adults. Unfortunately, allergies are not a condition that disappears as you get older. The good news? Symptoms may subside once you are over the age of 70, so hold tight.
Long Haired or Short Haired, Your Pet’s Fur Isn’t the Problem
May pet owners assume that having a dog or cat with shorter hair will limit the amount of allergens they or others will be around. The truth is that it’s not so much the fur as it is the pet dander ~ the dead skin cells shed by the pet ~ along with their saliva or urine that can trigger allergy symptoms. While there are no 100% hypoallergenic dogs, dog breeds, or mixed-breeds, there are many dog breeds that are less allergenic because they have a non-shedding coat that produces less dander. The American Kennel Club lists these dogs that are considered hypoallergenic.
It’s a Spring Thing
Not for those with a ragweed allergy, which is 1 out of every 5 of us. So if your stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes hit in late summer or early fall, it’s often a ragweed allergy. During ragweed season, one plant can release up to a billion grains of ragweed into the air. Ragweed is found in every state in the nation, and its pollen can travel FAR, like 200-400 miles far. It’s also worse when the nights are cool and the days are warm and dry ~ so pretty much just when the weather starts getting back to something we love.
You Just Have to Deal with It
Maybe you’re thinking that your only options are to 1) avoid whatever you’re allergic to, 2) use over-the-counter nasal sprays and pills, or 3) allergy shots. While these are all important considerations, allergy mitigation is now treatable by immunotherapy, to help you build up some allergy immunity and mitigate your symptoms. CEENTA relies on three options to build up your allergy immunity: yes, the allergy shots, but also tablets, and sublingual drops.
Allergy drops are made from the same liquids used for allergy shots. Instead of being injected, they are held under the tongue for two minutes and then swallowed. Only the first dose is administered in the office and the rest are done at home. The inhalant allergens that can be treated include everything that subcutaneous immunotherapy treats except for mold and cockroaches. As with allergy shots, each vial is custom-made to match your sensitivities. Unlike with sublingual tablets, the drops are used year-round.
Allergy tablets are obtained from your pharmacy like other prescription medicines. Currently, tablets are available for grass pollen (summer season), ragweed pollen (fall season), and dust mites (year round). You begin using them on a daily basis 3-4 months before that pollen season and continue during that season for a total of approximately 6 months out of the year.
Tablets are an especially good option if your symptoms are substantially worse in the summer or fall. They have been studied in well-designed trials and the proper dose has been determined. They are FDA-approved and covered by most insurance plans. No buildup is required. Systemic reactions are exceedingly rare. Only the first dose is administered in the office and the rest are done at home.
Don’t Suffer Spring in Silence (or Sneezing)
Don’t try to ride it out. The CEENTA allergy specialists can test you for seasonal allergies, identify them, and provide you with a variety of prescriptions and other solutions. Testing includes skin and blood tests and treatment can include allergy shots, sublingual allergy drops, or avoidance. They offer a comprehensive approach to treating seasonal allergies and other allergies that will get you back outside in no time.
Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A. (CEENTA) has nearly 140 providers in almost 20 locations bringing specialty care to the community. CEENTA provides comprehensive pediatric and adult eye, ear, nose and throat care, and highly specialized care, too.
These services include but are not limited to: audiology, allergy treatment, cataract surgery, cochlear implants, cornea diseases, diabetic eye care, glaucoma treatment, head and neck cancer, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, optical and contact lenses, pediatric airway care, sleep medicine, thyroid treatment, and voice and swallowing care.
To schedule an appointment with any of CEENTA’s board-certified physicians, please call 704-295-3000.
