Don’t Let Seasonal Allergies Take the Bloom Off Spring

Does the thought of stopping to smell the flowers make your nose itch?

If you’re one of the 35 million-plus Americans with seasonal allergies, it might.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis—or hay fever—is the body’s immune system gone a bit awry. It’s an overreaction to an allergen, which is just a term for a substance you could be allergic to. And most people who have allergies are allergic to things that can come and go with the seasons.

Why seasons bring on sneezing

Your immune system is like a bodyguard. It defends your body against foreign invaders.

But sometimes it goes on the defensive against things that are harmless, and that’s the essence of an allergic reaction: You come into contact with a substance, and your immune system overreacts. It starts releasing chemicals, such as histamines, to battle the invader. And those chemicals lead to an allergic reaction, with symptoms such as:

• Sneezing
• A stuffed-up or drippy nose
• Itchy eyes, throat or ears

Two of the most common allergens are pollen and mold spores.

Plants send pollen into the air with the hope of fertilizing other plants. Each plant has a period of pollination around the same time every year, generally starting in early spring and lasting through late fall.

It’s much the same with mold, which begins releasing fertilizing spores as weather warms from spring through summer and fall.

Other factors that can affect allergies include where you live and the weather on any given day.

What you can do

You can lessen symptoms by adjusting your activities. For example, spend less time outdoors when pollen and mold counts are high. Check the local news reports or visit the National Allergy Bureau at http://pollen.aaaai.org/nab.

Other tips:

• Close windows at night to keep allergens out.
• Avoid freshly mowed grass.
• Don’t rake leaves. It stirs up pollen and molds.
• Don’t hang laundry outside, where allergens can glom onto it.
• After yard work, change your clothes and take a shower.

A good first step, however, is to see your doctor. He or she can help figure out your specific allergens—and how to avoid them. Then you can work together on a treatment plan. That may include medications, such as antihistamines, and possibly allergy shots to calm your immune system’s response.

Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Looking for help to tackle your seasonal allergies? MultiCare’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists can help diagnosis your allergies and plan a treatment that help. visit multicare.org/ear-nose-throat-2 for more information and a list of our ENT office locations.

The Anatomy of Smoking: How tobacco affects your body

If you’re a smoker, you probably know you should stop. That’s a good start toward quitting, but you need a powerful motivator to follow through. Knowing the truth about how smoking harms your health may be what it takes.

An alarming fact is that smoking affects nearly every part of your body, including your:

• Airways. Delicate tissues in your lungs become inflamed because of smoking. This can lead to serious disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking can also cause cancer to develop in your lungs, throat and mouth.

• Heart. Smoking harms the cells lining the blood vessels and heart and can increase the risk of clots that cause heart attacks. Smoking can also contribute to an abdominal aortic aneurysm—the weakening of the major artery near the stomach.

• Other blood vessels. Damage to vessel linings can cause them to narrow, restricting blood flow to the kidneys, stomach, arms, legs and feet. This can lead to a range of problems, including pain and gangrene.

• Brain. Blood clots that form in damaged arteries can travel to your brain and cause potentially fatal strokes.

• Bones and tendons. Smoking increases the risk for osteoporosis—weak bones—and fractures in both men and women. Overuse injuries, such as tendonitis, and traumatic injuries, such as sprains, are also more likely among smokers, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

• Immune system. Some of the cells that destroy germs in the body are less likely to be found in smokers than in nonsmokers. That leaves you more vulnerable to infections.

In addition, smoking can cause cancer of the pancreas, kidneys, cervix and stomach. It also can cause leukemia, which is cancer of the blood. And smoking increases your risk for eye diseases and dental problems.

Women who smoke tend to have more complications with pregnancy, including premature births, low-birth-weight babies and stillbirths. And their babies are more likely to die of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) than babies whose mothers don’t smoke.

Turn your risks around

There’s another list that’s much more encouraging—the benefits of giving up smoking. Check it out, along with the American Cancer Society’s guide to quitting smoking, at morehealth.org/quit4good.

By quitting, your health risks decrease immediately and continue to diminish over time, no matter how long you’ve smoked.

Read more about tobacco cessation at multicare.org/tobacco-cessation.

The National Tobacco Quitline can also help you quit for good. Call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669).

Food Allergies in Children

By Lawrence Larson, DO, MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center

Food allergies in children are often confused with other food intolerances or behavioral changes. A food allergy is an immediate immune reaction to a particular food or beverage. Lactose intolerance or hyperactivity after eating sweets does not indicate a food allergy. 

Symptoms of food allergies are different for everyone. Mild to moderate reactions usually cause skin rash, GI upset or more subjective symptoms such as “ill feeling” or behavior changes. 

In some cases, severe food reactions can cause anaphylactic shock – a severe allergic reaction that occurs within minutes of exposure. Symptoms include swelling of lips, tongue or throat, nausea and vomiting, difficulty breathing, rapid pulse, stomach pain, hives and drowsiness. These reactions can be life threatening and should not be ignored. Common foods causing allergy include peanuts, tree nuts, cow’s milk, egg whites, shellfish and whitefish. 

Parents often ask how much food it takes to trigger an allergic reaction. However, allergic reactions don’t depend on the quantity of the food, but on what type of food the child is sensitive to. Most children who are allergic to milk, soy and wheat outgrow their allergies, but allergies to peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish are almost never outgrown.

Testing for allergies can be accurately done with skin testing, blood testing (CAP RAST) or challenge testing in an appropriate setting, such as Mary Bridge Children’s Health Center or a physician’s office. 

To prevent symptoms of food allergies:

• Follow the instructions given by your child’s doctor
• Read ingredient labels on food packages and avoid foods that cause reactions
• When eating out, ask about the ingredients used in restaurant foods
• Always carry your child’s medication, such as EpiPen, for emergency use
• Have your child wear a Medic Alert bracelet that lists allergies and care instructions
• Set guidelines for your child: Do not trade food. Do not eat food unless it comes from home

The most important thing is to treat allergies early, as soon as child starts to show symptoms. Also, educate your child’s teachers and classmates, and develop an action plan in case of allergic reactions. 

Other promising therapies are coming in the near future. In the meantime, if you know your child is allergic to a certain type of food, the best prevention is to not expose them to it!

Dr. Lawrence Larson is a pediatric allergy, immunology and pulmonary specialist at Pediatrics Northwest who sees patients at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Health Center. He can be reached at 253.383.5777 or 253.403.3131.