Spring has sprung in the Sacramento region and, maybe, so have those lovely pollen allergies.
Sacramento has particularly high levels of spring pollen because of the wide variety of pollen-producing plants, according to Dr. Neil Parikh, an allergy immunologist with Mercy Medical Group.
“In the spring, we have higher than many other areas [of] Oak tree pollen,” he said. “[But] it’s not just one tree, it’s multiple trees, it’s Ash tree, Mulberry tree, it’s Birch tree, and all of these trees are releasing pollen around the same time.”
He says pollen has been present for the past four to six weeks, and it’s increasing as the weather gets warmer. Allergies get particularly bad in the Sacramento region around the end of April, he added, because grass pollen counts get really high along with tree pollen.
Typical symptoms for pollen allergies include runny nose, congested nose, sneezing, sneezing fits, scratchy throat, cough related to post-nasal drip and itchy, red teary eyes, he said.
Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether it’s a cold or allergies. One distinguishing factor between the two is a fever. Colds can have them, but,that’s not an allergy symptom, he said.
“Another common way we know it’s allergy often is that it’s gonna generate the itch symptom,” Dr. Parikh said. “So itching – whether it’s itchy nose, itchy eyes, itchy scratchy throat – that itch symptom is usually going to imply that there’s some allergy going on.”
Managing symptoms
There are some simple steps you can take at home to try to lessen symptoms including avoiding certain times of day when pollen is more prevalent, Dr. Parikh said. People with allergies may want to avoid going out in the early morning or early evening, which are the worst times of day for pollen, he said.
You can also be mindful of bringing pollen with you into the house.
“When you are outside and you come in, you’ve been exposed and that pollen is now in your eyes, in your nose and on your clothing,” he said. “So when you come home, you want to shower immediately, change your clothes, so that you have less exposure to that pollen on your body and have less time to react to it.”
Many people will get over-the-counter allergy medicine and deal that way, but he says sometimes that’s not enough.
“Whenever I see someone for this problem, I ask how this is affecting their day-to-day life,” he said. If they’re avoiding going for a walk or outdoor exercise, that’s not a good quality of life, he said. “Their allergies are not under control because they’re avoiding things they would like to do.”
He says you can get tested by an allergist to pinpoint what exactly you are allergic to, and try to avoid that trigger.
Local honey?
Carla Powers works at The Bee Box, an East Sacramento shop that sells local honey and beekeeping supplies. She notices an increase in customers in the spring, who she can tell are in desperate need of an allergy remedy.
“You can just tell because people come in with watery eyes and just look miserable,” she said, adding that they start showing up in February. “They find that [honey] helps with their seasonal allergies.”
Customers come in to buy their local wildflower honey or local pollen for a more potent effect.
“Some say it is more potent and it works better,” she said, adding that people will either eat the pollen plain or mix it into something. “Some say the honey alone is enough to help them.”
But she says the science is still out on whether local honey actually lessens pollen allergies, and it hasn’t been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Parikh says he does not recommend eating local honey for preventing seasonal allergies.
“Studies show mixed results,” he wrote in an email. “Most tree pollen that causes allergies rely on wind, not bees for pollination.”
Regardless, Powers said eating local honey can help allergy symptoms. “It’s good for sore throats and cough as well,” she said.
You can find current pollen levels in your area here.
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