Spring is here and the flowers are blossoming and nature is coming back to life! As beautiful as this all is and exciting to be emerging from the colder months, the less exciting part of spring is all the allergies that can come along with the season. Depending on where you live, allergies can range from mild or extreme conditions and can be difficult or just irritating to deal with. There are measures, such as talking to your Shenandoah physician, you can take to relieve symptoms to get back to enjoying your favorite springtime activities.
What Is The Cause For Spring Allergies?
When plants begin to grow, they release pollen, a fine powdery substance, which transfers genetic material to other plants, resulting in cross-pollination. We breathe these fine powders in as they are traveling through the air. Once the pollen has entered the body, the immune system starts to respond to this as something foreign enters the body and needs to be neutralized. Some of the primary culprits of allergies are within nature like trees, grass, or ragweed to name a few – other times, allergies can form from mold or dust. It’s important to understand that everyone reacts to allergies differently and to different substances, some may bother one individual more than another.
Your Immune System Reacts
The immune system’s main job is to protect the body from varieties of microorganisms – Certain substances simply do not belong in the body, like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and more that prove to be unwelcomed and the immune system will go to work right away to try and keep those organisms at bay. This is when the body start to have symptoms and allergic reactions. Histamines are released into the blood and may trigger itchy eyes, runny nose, rash, or even trouble breathing once the body has been notified of pollen or other allergens entering the body because the immune system sees it as a threat.
How to Make it Through Allergy Season
It is possible to relieve your suffering with over-the-counter medications, depending on the severity of your symptoms. If you don’t usually have allergies, you may want to speak to your healthcare provider to find out if what you are experiencing is an allergy and how to treat it.
The Weather Channel’s pollen count and allergy info tool, which requires you to input your city or zip code can help by providing a 15-day allergy forecast and today’s pollen count and breakdown. Those actions may include staying indoors as needed, wearing protective clothing, and showering after being outdoors.
It is possible to minimize indoor allergens through routine home maintenance. One of the best ways is to change the filters in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.
Schedule an Appointment with a Shenandoah Physician
Conveniently located in Shenandoah – adjacent to Conroe, Spring, and The Woodlands – is our internal medicine practice providing comprehensive and compassionate patient-centered health care. Woodlands Diagnostic Clinic’s physicians are committed to optimizing the health and well-being of our patients through the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of both acute and chronic medical conditions in either an office or teleconference setting seven days a week. So, whether you need to visit a physician for your annual physical examination or find relief for spring allergies, schedule an appointment with Woodlands Diagnostic Clinic today at (281) 863-9554.
