What’s making your fall allergies flare up

It’s harvest season in the Midwest. That means a change in colors, cooler temperatures and misery for allergy sufferers.

There are ways to minimize the sneezing, runny nose, congestion and itchy eyes that can arrive sometime in September and hang around until November.

It is important to remember that effective over-the-counter medications are available. There are also ways of identifying the allergens causing problems and learning to be better at avoiding them.

Kranthi Nomula, M.D., a fellowship-trained allergy and immunology specialist at Sanford Northern Sky Clinic in Bismarck, North Dakota, can help you come up with a plan.

As an allergist, Dr. Nomula helps people get control of their symptoms. Much of that care starts with this statement of fact:

“Don’t wait until you’re miserable,” she said. “Stay on top of your medication.”

That can mean getting ahead of the symptoms that can make this time of year uncomfortable.

“We prepare patients with medications that they could start using before the allergy season comes to a peak,” Dr. Nomula said. “If the medication is already in their system, they’re not as miserable.”

Over-the-counter help

“Most allergies associated with the harvest have mild-to-moderate symptoms,” Dr. Nomula said. “The over-the-counter medications available like Zyrtec (cetirizine), Claritin (loratadine) or Allegra (fexofenadine) work amazingly for sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes. They are also non-sedating.”

If there is also nasal congestion, there is more concern, but also several effective medications available.

“Nose sprays under brand names like Flonase (fluticasone) and Nasacort (triamcinolone) can make a big difference, too, when you use them for a few days,” Dr. Nomula said. “Because they are steroid nose sprays, they might take some time to show some effect. But if taken consistently, they can really help.”

Seeking expertise

When you have tried over-the-options and your allergies are still getting in the way of life, it’s time to consult with an allergist. They can help you find the problems and refine your medication plan.

“We can try to figure out what you’re specifically allergic to and we can also guide you on what additional medications you can follow,” Dr. Nomula said. “If that is not as helpful as you’d hoped, we can discuss allergy shots. Allergy shots are a way to retrain certain cells in your immune system to be less reactive to the allergen you’re regularly exposed to. This can be very helpful for patients who are going to suffer from harvest allergies every year.”

So what is it that makes this time of year worse for allergy sufferers?

Weeds pollinate during the fall, meaning the air is full of pollen. In the Midwest, much of it is ragweed pollen, which can travel thousands of miles from the plant that set it free. In addition, grass and plants begin to decompose in the fall, creating optimal conditions for mold spore growth.

If you’re a farmer working in the fields or are often around stored grain, sometimes avoiding allergen causes can be as simple as wearing a mask. When you’re in the tractor, keeping the windows closed can help. Changing clothes and showering when you return home after spending a day outdoors can also keep the offending allergens out of the house.

A rainy harvest season can make things more difficult for allergy sufferers. The symptoms can seem worse and last longer.

“When you think about it, when we have more rain, you have more plant growth and more mold,” Dr. Nomula said. “Rain is great for the crops, but it can extend the allergy season because there are more plants dying and you have more mold.”

What to do next

During a visit to an allergist, allergens are placed on your skin, and your provider determines what exactly is doing the irritating. That information can help determine what kind of environmental controls will help the most.

“Patients should not think they need to push themselves to seek care,” Dr. Nomula said. “They should just come and see if there’s something that we can help them with.”

Sanford Health Allergy and Immunology can help you effectively manage your allergies, asthma or immune system conditions. Allergists identify what triggers your allergic reactions and create a plan to fight your symptoms.

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Posted In
Bismarck, Ear, Nose & Throat, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine