2011年5月10日星期二

Ahhhchoo, allergy season coming on strong

An abundance of rainfall this spring has made this year’s allergy season a particularly bad one for seasonal allergy sufferers.

“Just look outside and you can see,” said Parsippany-based allergist Dr. Neal Nadler.

There’s pollen everywhere.

Rain holds pollen down, but when the rain dries up the battle begins, Nadler said. “Now all the pollens that have been suppressed come out in full blast, and people get the itchy eyes and running nose,” he said.

The allergy culprits of the moment are trees and mold (though, Nadler said, mold is a year-round irritant), and come August, ragweed will cause its own share of sniffles and sneezes, he said.

Seasonal allergies last from April to October, or, until the first frost comes and there are about 40 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies.

Dr. Leonard Bielory, a specialist in allergy and immunology with the department of Environmental Sciences at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, said he sympathizes because this year’s allergy season looks to be particularly harsh.

“The grass pollens started last weekend and that Sunday our phones started ringing off the hook,” he said, referring to patients seeking relief at his private practice in Springfield. “This will continue to persist at these elevated states through the end of May and the beginning of June.”

Bielory, who is conducting research on pollen and allergies, said that on Tuesday tree pollen counts soared to 5,600 grains per cubic meter, which is considered high. Information on the daily pollen count can be found on the Asthma and Allergy Research Center, NJ School of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry website, he said.

Point Pleasant Dr. Richard Murachanian said it’s hard to tell whether it is worse than previous years because there are so many effective, nonsedating over-the-counter allergy medications, like Allegra and Claritin, that people may choose to purchase the medication rather than visit a doctor.

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