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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor tens of millions of Americans, allergy season ushers in a period of misery, characterized by runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing, all triggered by trees, grass and various pollens. <\/p>\n
The intensity of these symptoms can differ greatly depending on an individual’s geographic location, specific allergens and daily lifestyle. <\/p>\n
Experts are increasingly pointing to climate change as a key factor contributing to longer and more severe allergy seasons. <\/p>\n
Yet, there is positive news: treatments for seasonal allergies have become notably more effective over the last decade. <\/p>\n
With these advancements, experts are now offering practical advice to help manage symptoms, potentially enabling sufferers to enjoy the outdoors once again.<\/p>\n
Here’s how to track pollen levels<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Pollen trackers can help you decide when to go outside. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email.<\/p>\n
The first step is to try to avoid pollen altogether<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. Keep the windows in your car and your home closed, even when it\u2019s nice outside. <\/p>\n
If you go outside, wearing long sleeves can keep pollen off your skin to help ward off allergic reactions, said Dr. James Baker, an allergist at the University of Michigan. It also provides some sun protection, he added.<\/p>\n
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The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure (Getty\/iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhen you get home, change your clothes and shower daily to ensure all the pollen is off of you \u2014 including your hair. If you can\u2019t wash your hair every day, try covering it when you go outside with a hat or scarf. Don\u2019t get into bed with your outside clothes on, because the pollen will follow. <\/p>\n
It’s also useful to rinse your eyes and nose with saline to remove any pollen, experts said. And the same masks that got us through the pandemic can protect you from allergies \u2014 though they won\u2019t help with eye symptoms.<\/p>\n
How to relieve allergy symptoms<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Over-the-counter nasal sprays are among the most effective treatments for seasonal allergies, experts said. <\/p>\n
But patients often use them incorrectly, irritating parts of the nose, said Dr. Kathleen May, an allergist at Augusta University in Georgia. She suggested angling the nozzle outward toward your ear rather than sticking it straight up your nose. <\/p>\n
Over-the-counter allergy pills like Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec are helpful, but may not be as effective as quickly since they’re taken by mouth, experts said. <\/p>\n
If your allergy symptoms are impacting your quality of life, like causing you to lose sleep or lose focus at work or school, it might be time to consider making an appointment with an allergist. There are medications that can train your immune system not to overreact to allergens. <\/p>\n
Some remedies for allergy relief that have been circulating on social media or suggested by celebrities \u2014 like incorporating local honey into your diet to expose yourself to pollen \u2014 have been debunked. <\/p>\n
Dr. Shyam Joshi, an allergist at Oregon Health and Science University, said that’s because the flowers that bees pollinate typically don’t contain the airborne pollen that causes allergy symptoms.<\/p>\n
New cities top the list of ‘allergy capitals’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. <\/p>\n
This year, the top five cities are: Boise, Idaho; San Diego; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Provo, Utah; and Rochester, New York. <\/p>\n
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Boise, Idaho is one of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies (Getty\/iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Pollen helps plants reproduce \u2014 and makes us miserable <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Pollen is the powdery substance made by seed-producing plants and trees that is part of their reproductive process. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that, grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall.<\/p>\n
Some of the most common tree pollens that cause allergies include birch, cedar, cottonwood, maple, elm, oak and walnut, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Grasses that cause symptoms include Bermuda, Johnson, rye and Kentucky bluegrass.<\/p>\n
Is allergy season changing? <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Winters are milder and growing seasons are longer as the climate is changing, meaning there\u2019s more opportunity for pollen to stay in the air, resulting in longer and more severe allergy seasons.<\/p>\n
Last year was one of the most intense allergy seasons on record, particularly in the Southeast U.S. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more For tens of millions of Americans, allergy season ushers in a period of misery, characterized by runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing, all triggered by trees, grass and various pollens. The intensity of these symptoms can differ greatly depending on an individual’s geographic location, specific allergens and daily lifestyle. Experts are increasingly pointing to climate change as a key factor contributing to longer and more severe allergy seasons. Yet, there is positive news: treatments for seasonal allergies have become notably more effective over the last decade. With these advancements, experts are now offering practical advice to help manage symptoms, potentially enabling sufferers to enjoy the outdoors once again. Here’s how to track pollen levels Pollen trackers can help you decide when to go outside. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email. The first step is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}