What is a Seasonal Allergy?
Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis, occur when you breathe in something you are allergic to, such as dust, animal dander, or pollen. Symptoms can also occur when you eat a food that you are allergic to. When a person with allergic rhinitis breathes in an allergen such as pollen, mold, animal dander, or dust, the body releases chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.
What Causes Seasonal Allergies?
Seasonal allergies happen when your immune system identifies an airborne substance that’s usually harmless as dangerous. Pollen from trees and grass find their way into your mucus membranes, and your body responds to that substance by releasing histamines and other chemicals into your bloodstream, in the same way that it would for infectious bacteria. Those chemicals produce the symptoms of an allergic reaction. (Hence why antihistamines help with allergy symptoms. They block the histamines.)
Common triggers of seasonal allergies vary from one season to another, but regarding spring, trees are responsible for most springtime seasonal allergies. Birch is one of the most common offenders in northern latitudes, where many people with hay fever react to its pollen. Other allergenic trees in North America include cedar, alder, horse chestnut, willow, and poplar.
Once summer arrives, seasonal allergies are fueled by grasses such as ryegrass, timothy grass and certain weeds. And once fall arrives, ragweed, an invasive plant that’s hard to control, is the principal culprit of seasonal allergies.
Your geographical location can also affect the severity of your seasonal allergies. If you live in the South, you’re enduring a longer springtime allergy season (February through May), and ragweed season starts earlier as well (sometimes as early as July). Generally, the Northeast and South Central areas of the U.S. are the worst places to live if you suffer from seasonal allergies. (According to this map from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Scranton, Pa. is the most challenging place to live for seasonal allergy sufferers, but don’t tell Michael Scott or Andy Bernard.)
Why have seasonal allergies increased for the past 80 years or so? This video gives some great insight into how the wide scale municipal planting of male trees has caused the current “pollen-apocalypse.”
What are The Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies?
Symptoms of seasonal allergies can vary from mild to severe and include sneezing, postnasal drip, watery and itchy eyes, itchy or blocked sinuses, plus headache, wheezing, coughing and fatigue. Asthma and asthma attacks may also be triggered by seasonal allergies.
5 Things That May Help Seasonal Allergies
There is no cure for seasonal allergies, but these five tips may help treat symptoms.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar is not a cure for seasonal allergies, but it does contain potassium, which thins mucus, and acetic acids, which acts as an antimicrobial agent and could potentially kill pathogens that cause infections leading to cough.
Quercetin
According to this 2016 study, “Quercetin displays high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that have been proven by many in vivo and in vitro studies…and the results of the studies prove a unique position of quercetin in the treatment of allergic disorders.” Essentially, it prevents/modulates the release of histamines, and can be found in apples, berries, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, grapes, nuts, onions, bell peppers and more. But if you cook those foods, it reduces the amount of quercetin, so you want to have them raw when possible. You can also take quercetin as a supplement.
Probiotics
According to this 2013 study, “Probiotics may have an important role in the prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis.” And in a more recent study released in 2022 in Australia, the study suggests that a probiotic formula taken for 10–12 weeks, was effective in reducing hay fever symptoms, such as runny nose and itchy eyes, and improved the quality-of-life and immunological parameters while being well tolerated.
Clean Your Home
If you suffer from seasonal allergies, there’s a good chance that indoor allergens could exacerbate your symptoms. In addition to allergic rhinitis, dust mite allergies can cause asthma and eczema. On top of that, you might be tracking outdoor pollen into your home during the spring via your shoes. So dust regularly, vacuum regularly, and if possible, remove your shoes before entering your home.
Visit Restore Hyper Wellness
Restore Hyper Wellness has a variety of modalities that may help ease the symptoms of seasonal allergies.
- IV Drip Therapy has several options designed for the allergy sufferer that may boost immunity and promote general wellness.
- Red Light Therapy may help relieve pain and inflammation, as well as optimize sleep.
- Cryotherapy may relieve pain, swelling and stress, as well as promote healing.
- Infrared Sauna may help promote energy and healing, improve circulation and heart health, and relieve inflammation.
Curious about Services at Restore? We can help get you started.
