It's late summer in the Midwest, and if you're enduring symptoms of hay fever, including frequent sneezing, eye irritation, an itchy nose or throat, headaches, and trouble sneezing, ragweed is most likely the culprit.
Lately there has been a high local concentration of ragweed, which can produce up to 1 billion pollen grains in a season. After midsummer, as nights grow longer, ragweed flowers mature and release pollen, which is spurred on by warmth and humidity.
Ragweed allergies affect 75 percent of people who suffer from pollen allergies. There is no cure, but the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America offers these tips to keep your suffering to a minimum:
1. Track the pollen count for your area. The news media often reports the count, especially when pollen is high. You also can call the National Allergy Bureau at (800)-9-POLLEN or reach it through the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology on the Internet (www.aaaai.org). It will give you the pollen count for your region.
2. Stay indoors in central air conditioning with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter attachment when the pollen count is high. This will remove pollen from the indoor air.
3. Get away from the pollen where possible. People in Midwestern states might get some relief by going west to the Rocky Mountains and beyond. Going to sea or abroad in late summer can greatly reduce exposure. But check the area abroad you plan to visit. It may have a ragweed season as well.
4. Avoid being outside during pollen peak times between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
5. Take antihistamine medications. These work well to control hay fever symptoms, whatever the cause. The drowsiness caused by older products is less of a problem with antihistamines now on the market. Anti-inflammatory nose sprays or drops also help and have few side effects. Similar agents can reduce eye symptoms, but other remedies are needed for the less common, pollen-induced asthma.
