It's the first day of spring. Consider this your official notice to take seasonal allergies seriously before you find yourself overwhelmed by mucus and without tissues.
Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever, are among the most common conditions in the United States. More than 25% of adults experience seasonal allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Soon enough, millions of cars will be dusted in layers of green/yellow pollen, sneezes will break silences and many will wonder if they're just suffering from allergies or if they're sick, which is a more worrisome ordeal post-pandemic.
Before the worst of allergy season takes hold, now is the best time to prepare. Relief is harder to find once you lose the ability to breathe out of both nostrils.
Fall allergy season has arrived. The symptoms can sometimes be severe, and mistaken for signs of more serious illness, including COVID-19.
Are allergy seasons getting worse?
If you feel like your seasonal allergies are worse every year, it’s not just in your head (or your sinuses).
A multitude of factors are contributing to longer and more intense allergy seasons, according to Dr. Greg Carnevale, an ear, nose and throat physician specializing in allergies who also works as a chief medical officer for UnitedHealth Group.
A major culprit? Climate change. Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns are causing trees to bloom earlier, which extends the pollen season. Stronger storms and increased wind activity are also dispersing pollen over longer distances, exposing more people to more allergens.
Trees rely on specific environmental cues to initiate pollination, primarily temperature, day length and accumulated warmth over time. The effects of climate change are essentially confusing trees and causing the timing of pollination to be inconsistent.
Research is still developing, but some studies suggest that even "forever chemicals" — synthetic substances that will persist in the environment for generations that humans come in contact with and ingest — could be making allergies worse by impairing the immune system.
Allergy season is here, so we asked Dr. Richard Wasserman, medical director for Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Medical City Children’s Hospital in Texas, to answer our top 10 questions about allergies.
How to manage seasonal allergies
In the same way that allergies affect people differently, treatments vary widely. Dr. Carnevale said he emphasizes to his patients the importance of making their home a safe space during allergy season.
Tips for home:
- Keep windows closed to prevent pollen from entering, if possible
- Use air conditioning with high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filters
- Wash sheets, curtains and any fabric that pollen may stick to frequently
- Clean floors and surfaces regularly to remove lingering allergens
- Keep pets clean, as fur can carry pollen indoors
- In high-humidity rooms, consider using a dehumidifier to reduce indoor mold and dust mites
- In low-humidity rooms, consider using a humidifier to soothe nasal passages. The optimal indoor relative humidity in a room should be between 30% and 50%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Tips for yourself:
- Talk to a doctor about treatment options
- Take over-the-counter antihistamines, nasal sprays or other allergy medications
- Use a saline rinse to clear nasal passages of allergens
- Shower and change clothes after being outdoors to remove pollen from skin and hair
- Wear a face mask during peak pollen times, usually in the morning and early afternoon
- Avoid rubbing your eyes
- Drink plenty of water to help thin mucus. Your respiratory system needs to stay hydrated
- Limit outdoor activities during high pollen count days
"Allergies are easy to experience and, in some ways, easy to treat. Most people don't need aggressive therapy," Dr. Carnevale said. "Sometimes it's more of a nuisance ... but when those symptoms are more problematic and affecting one's daily life, it's important to start with the common things — saline rinses, over-the-counter medications and even proceeding to talk to your doctor for more specific therapy based on what you're allergic to."
Long-term exposure treatment and immunotherapy
For people with severe seasonal allergies, immunotherapy — such as allergy shots or sublingual tablets— can provide long-term relief. These treatments work by gradually exposing the immune system to small amounts of allergens, helping the body build tolerance over time.
While results are not immediate, many people experience significant symptom reduction after several months of consistent treatment, Dr. Carnevale said. Similarly, some people believe local honey helps them build resistance through small-scale exposure, though the claim lacks concrete scientific support.
Immunotherapy is commonly used to treat life-threatening allergies, such as peanut allergies or severe insect sting reactions from bees or wasps. The treatment may not cure people from allergies, but it could reduce the severity of life-threatening allergic reactions.
For people with anaphylactic allergies, immediate intervention is crucial. People with these allergies should carry an epinephrine treatment, commonly known as an EpiPen.
Jason McCourty discusses the Teal Pumpkin Project and how it's helping kids with allergies on Halloween.
Why some people suffer more during allergy season
The trees themselves haven't changed. What has changed is the length of pollen exposure and the variety of allergens people encounter, especially as people are more mobile and get exposed to allergens in different regions, Dr. Carnevale said.
Everyone has a different allergy threshold — the point where their immune system decides it’s time to launch an all-out attack on harmless pollen. While a light breeze might cause nothing more than a sneeze for one person, that same gust could leave another person reaching for an antihistamine that knocks them out for the night.
"You basically have a higher or a lower threshold to exhibit symptoms," Dr. Carnevale explained. "Your body is always churning out ways to fight initial allergens or sensitivities. So, if you have a pet and a pet dander allergy, then you magnify that. Tree pollen in the spring is just an additive factor that plays into whether you're going to exhibit symptoms or not."
