Allergy season arrived early in US. Here's how to keep pollen from ruining your spring https://t.co/E4ARtMoOLx
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 22, 2024
If you find yourself suddenly tired, sad, cranky… maybe it’s (also) your histamines. Apparently it’s time for us to start washing our faces as obsessively as we’ve learned to wash our hands, paying particular attention to eyebrows & eyelashes. And maybe take the ‘outdoor’ clothes off as soon as you walk in the door, or at least before you go into your bedroom.
Per the Associated Press, “Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring”:
Allergy season is here — and it’s earlier and stronger than expected.
More than 80 million Americans deal with itchy eyes, runny nose and other symptoms of seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America…
Dr. Rachna Shah usually starts looking at pollen counts in the Chicago area in April. But she peeked at her data in mid-February, and saw tree pollen was already at a “moderate” level.
“This season has been so nuts,” said Shah, an allergist and director of the Loyola Medicine Allergy Count. “Granted, it was a pretty mild winter, but I didn’t expect it to be so early.”
Shah said she believes this season will be longer than other years, assuming the weather remains warm. Experts say climate change has led to longer and more intense allergy seasons.
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. This year, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City…
The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. That’s easier said than done when everyone wants to enjoy spring weather.
To prevent allergy issues, keep windows closed at home and in the car, avoid going out when pollen counts are highest and change clothes when you get home.
Pollen trackers can help with planning. 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…
As with all self-care, there is no One Weird Trick, but sometimes enough small modifications can make a crucial difference. Ah, the ‘joys’ of being made of meat jelly…
Taylor Swift Music Recommendations
HumboldtBlue
Nukular Biskits
Pollen season arrived weeks ago here on the Gulf Coast.
Just spent a good part of the day removing pine tree flower cores from the gutters.
Kristine
My allergies—and the resulting asthma attacks—lessened to a great extent after I left Florida. I remember one of my organic chem profs telling us that if you moved to Florida with no allergies, in 5 years you’d have every allergy known to man.
Sister Golden Bear
Allergies are one reason I’ve in coastal CA most of my life — much less pollen blowing in from the Pacific. Still feels like the pollen apocalypse thanks to flowering trees on all sides of the house
Allergies are probably also one reason I’m a night person, since pollen drops out of the air when it cools down in the evening.
Mike in NC
We live on a golf course with a million trees around us. For several years I got a springtime sinus infection, but now I’m acclimated to it. But every day I have to hose down the car to get rid of yellow pollen.
Poe Larity
I’m just going to go work at a Napa winery and sleep in their caves, Those barrels aren’t going to guard themselves.
Adam L Silverman
This is why I have a Navage. And use it every day. Sometimes two or three times during allergy season.
Melancholy Jaques
@HumboldtBlue:
It is a mistake to regard any corporate owned media as anything but the opposition. Moments like this, they show us who they really are, who they really want to be.
Villago Delenda Est
“There is no one weird trick”.
What good is the World Wide Web then, anyways?
NotMax
Am one of those few who assiduously scans the credits on TV shows and movies, always on the lookout for unusual or amusing data.
Came across an episode title on an Italian lawyer show which immediately found a home near the top of the hall of fame list:
“I frigoriferi degli uomini soli” (The Refrigerators of Lonely Men).
#1 spot will likely forever be assigned to an episode title of the Prime original series Patriot: “Fuck John Wayne.”
;)
Jackie
@HumboldtBlue: WOOOHOOO! I KNOW it was MY phone call to NBC that turned the tide!😂 I don’t watch NBC other than sports, so I’m good!
Villago Delenda Est
There was a report on 60 Minutes long ago back in the 70s, you know, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, about how Arizona’s rep for being good for escaping from aerosol allergies had been destroyed by bringing the damn trees from back East to Arizona, wrecking the whole damn thing, and Arizona has no clean Pacific breezes to keep down the problem. Neither does the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
NotMax
For average allergy days have found the Kirkland (Costco) brand of nasal spray, Aller-Flo, effective. Comes in a package of five bottles and is frequently available at a sale price.
Ohio Mom
@HumboldtBlue: The irony here is that the news business by definition is supposed to be on top of trends.
It’s their job to identify what the emerging news stories are so they can focus in on them and be on a position to report on them to the public. And yet somehow they missed that Ronna McDaniel would not be welcomed to the news department.
Chris T.
My allergies have gone nuts ever since we moved to Washington state. It’s so wonderfully green here, which is nice, and also torture. 😀
Costco carry both loratadine (generic Claritin) and fexofenadine (generic Allegra). The loratadine is significantly cheaper, at about $10 for a 365-pill bottle, so I just take one a day every day. In spring (i.e., now) I add a fexofenadine from the more expensive bottle of fewer pills.
@NotMax: Their Aller-Flo is fluticasone, or generic Flonase. Also good stuff, not as cheap as the daily loratadine though.
Urza
When I saw this I could only think its early only in comparison to past years. Its likely late compared to future years.
Carlo Graziani
As a chronic allergy sufferer (multiple allergens, including cats, of which I married 3), and a person now perpetually afflicted with dry-eye and (perhaps paradoxically) teary eyes:
Beware of excessive eye-washing. Or, at least, have some ophtalmically-sensible moisturizing product with which you can restore the moisturizing oils to your eyelids and eye skin that you are removing by soapy application. My ophtalmologist approves of a CeraVe product calked “Eye-repair Cream,” which does seem to relieve itching. Also, frequent saline irrigation of the eyeballs.
Also: some fraction of us reacts badly to preservatives in eye-care products. This can lead, in principle, to so-called iatrogenic pathologies, wherein prescribed treatments (e.g. allergy eyedrops such as PataDay) can actually aggravate eye-itch, resulting in “contact dermatitis,” a condition I had to put up with until an ophtalmologist figured out what my problem was. The eye products in individual one-dose vials are the “preservative-free” formulations that one should engage with in such circumstances.
My current ophtalmologist gave me an explanatory model for allergic eye pathology that helps me understand, and to some extent deal with the problem: eye skin is supposed to seal the eyeballs, preventing external contaminants from making contact, and aiding tear-based elimination. Unfortunately, if eye skin itself becomes irritated by allergens, it can become loose, and lose its ability to perform this function, at which point not only does one have itchy eye skin, but also perpetually teary eyes, especially in cold, windy weather. The lines of defense are (1) take care of the eye skin, through ophtalmically-approved moisturization (apparently there are a number of makeup-adjacent products that ophtalmologists like for this) and, (2) use saline to irrigate/clear eyeballs. The individual vial artificial tears formulations are pretty good for this.
Or, just as they say that the cure for seasickness is “sit under a tree,” the cure for allergies is “get the hell away from the allergens.” If you actually live in circumstances that allow you to do that, I hate you, but you should totally do that.
Quadrillipede
As a bored, timid kid growing up in North West England in the 1980s (D- at best, would not recommend), visiting the library and discovering philosophies like Daoism was tremendously encouraging to me at the time.
As I’m in Asia atm, it might be time to gently re-engage:
Jackie
@Chris T.: I take the Costco version of Zyrtec daily, and if I wake during the night stuffy, I add Costco’s version of Flonase as needed. Thank goodness for Costco!😁 I live on the east side of the Cascades in WA, so my allergies are dust, hay, alfalfa, and whatever pollen the winds blow.
Chris T.
@Carlo Graziani: I’m mildly allergic to just about every damn thing, including cats … and I have many cats.
My allergies were mild enough to wear rigid gas permeable contact lenses, back when I lived in California, when I had one cat, and then two cats, and then I got two more cats and … they weren’t mild enough any more.
My eye doc prescribed a mast cell stabilizer eye-drop (don’t remember which one, and this was in the 1990s and there are a lot more available now anyway), which worked, but I mostly just went back to glasses, especially once my eyes aged to the point of needing different focal lengths for “everyday” stuff and for computer work (which was also “every day”, but not what the term is used for…).
Melancholy Jaques
@NotMax:
Loved Patriot.
Hoppie
@Sister Golden Bear: Alas, down here in San Diego, not only are several somethings ALWAYS in bloom (which if you lived most of your life in the Midwest you’ve never been exposed to), also when the wind isn’t blowing the sea-foam particulates onshore, it’s blowing the desert dust particles west! There are a few compensations, however….
Jackie
@Jackie: Oh, and Russian Olive trees. Their perfume throws me into terrible sneezing fits late spring into early summer.
Chris T.
@Jackie: I’m a little cautious about Zyrtec (cetirizine) because it can cause tachycardia and edema (or œdema for our British cousins). The generic-Claritin can have side effects too, but doesn’t have any known to possibly aggravate heart issues (cardiovascular problems killed pretty much everyone on my dad’s side of the family going back several generations). Of course if you’re not taking it daily as a prophylactic measure, it should be fine anyway… If you haven’t had these side effects (they’re rare) it should be fine.
Ryan
“Ronna McDaniel Won’t Be on MSNBC After Backlash, But Will Remain on NBC News: WSJ. NBC News tries to mitigate the damage following mass outrage.”
Fine, let her on MTP. It’s been crap in Chuck Toad took over.
Ryan
“Per the Associated Press, “Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring”:”
It’s only early if you assume climate change isn’t happening.
Cadmium Red Hue
@NotMax: About 10 years ago, I was in a pub in Malindi, Kenya & there was an Italian soap opera on the tv, English subtitles. It was so over the top with everyone having affairs with everyone else, there was a cowboy and a few murders. It was hilarious! My son and I drank way too much beer going back every night to see the next instalment until we had to leave. Haven’t been able to track it down.
piratedan
@Ryan: happy to hear that the outrage worked, talk about a completely fucking stupid hire. Whoever made that call should be fucking fired.
hueyplong
Not sure this is better. NBC viewers might be more likely to be influenced by RM’s crap than are MSNBC viewers.
sdhays
@HumboldtBlue: “…but will remain on NBC News”
It’s all very bizarre. Who would NBC News need to hire from the Democratic Party to have even the beginnings of an equivalence? Ron Klain? (No disrespect intended to Mr. Klain.) And why are these assholes always so convinced that having campaign operatives on the payroll is a useful investment? They can interview campaign operatives whenever they want for free!
mrmoshpotato
Dan Curtis’s Dracula was kinda on the ridiculous side. Would not recommend.
frosty
So Californians — you cured my allergies. I had “hay fever” growing up in PA, fall allergies as far as I can recall. Went out to school in SoCal – no allergies, no sniffles, no itchy eyes! Moved back east nine years later and the allergies didn’t return. I don’t know why, but I’m really happy about it. I’ve been back about 45 years now, too.
Cats, on the other hand!
eclare
I had really bad allergies to pollen up until my 20’s, then they sort of went away. I have no idea why, I remember walking outside and my teeth hurt from sinus pressure. But not anymore.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare:
That’s fun – and especially concerning the first time it happens!
Jackie
@piratedan: I wonder if former RNC Chairman Michael Steele had any sway? He was chairman 2009 -11, to be replaced by Reince Priebus. Steele has made no secret of his disgust and distain for McDaniel and her kissing up to TIFG. And he didn’t have any respect for Priebus, either when he quit the RNC to be TIFG’s first COS.
I, btw, like Michael Steele’s addition to MSNBC. He hates today’s MAGA/GQP and he’s not shy about telling Dems when he thinks they’re too nice re going after the GQP. We need to hear that viewpoint when it’s applicable.
Mai Naem mobile
@HumboldtBlue: i am kind of surprised they hired Ronna since I didn’t think she was out of the woods legally as far as the Michigan false elector situation.
piratedan
@Jackie: my own feelings about Steele is that while he was certainly no friend to the Democrats (nor should he be tbh), he wasn’t the type to deny reality and willing to accept truth when it was evident. In that aspect, I could respect him and the work that he did.
McDaniel is obviously just a mouth of Sauron type, willing to misrepresent the truth and be a total hypocrite upon need. If we’re talking about a news network that is looking to inform the viewers, I have no fucking idea where hiring her does anything for ensuring that your news is accurate, much less informative.
They could just as easily hire a farm animal, it would have been cheaper and it wouldn’t need to be fact checked.
lgerard
@NotMax:
I use this as well. It is always available on Amazon for around 25 bucks for 5
prostratedragon
After Hours, “Midnight,” Howard Shore
Melancholy Jaques
@Mai Naem mobile:
I can’t think of a single, audience- building reason to hire Ronna “No Longer a Romney” McDaniel. She does not have a following in the public. There is nothing about her that is interesting or special. The only reason any of us ever heard of her is because of her grandfather and her uncle.
AlaskaReader
Ronna McDaniel is a confirmed and admitted member of the coup.
She should be in prison,
…not on the air.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Sneezin’ season? Massachusetts is under the third day of a hurricane. No one’s talking about it, but I see it.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
I’d watch a cow read the news.
Hoppie
@piratedan:
Chef’s kiss.
NotMax
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Ox News?
“We won’t steer you wrong.”
//
West of the Rockies
Christ, at this point I’d love just an allergy. Our preschool granddaughter brought home something: high fever, chills, headache, congestion, a fiery sore throat, and serious fatigue. I’m on day 12. Went to the doctor. I’m on the way out with only bronchitis as an issue, but this has been miserable.
Preschoolers are constantly picking noses and have no boundaries. Shit goes around.
NotMax
@West of the Rockies
All the hallmarks of classic flu. Perhaps piggybacked with strep.
Which is nothing to sneeze at.
Feel better soonest.
sab
I remember looking out the window of my office in Las Vegas NV and watching a pine tree in the parking lot give off clouds of yellow pollen like a powder puff. So much for being in the allergen free desert.
sab
@West of the Rockies: My grandaughter had something like that last month. She was quite sick for weeks.
Martin
It’s been miserable here in OC. There are yellow piles on the ground. My daily allergy meds aren’t a problem, but when I max out on them like I am now I’m borderline non-functional.
Jay
@West of the Rockies:
Maybe RSV?
Get tested?
sab
Right now we are at 24°. March 24 and this is the coldest it has been all winter. I wonder if we’ll have snow on the eclipse day.
sab
@Jay: My grandaughter had her RSV vax and she was tested, so it was some other nameless crud going around.
Thank God her mom works from home so she didn’t have to call off work for weeks.
mrmoshpotato
@sab: Hope the kiddo feels better soon.
SectionH
@sab: Mr S just asked is that Celsius or Fahrenheit? I fell over laughing. Yes F, I know – keep warm!
lowtechcyclist
What are these ‘allergies’ of which you speak?
:d&r:
prostratedragon
After Hours, “3AM,” Howard Shore
Origuy
Fitting, since in LOTR the Mouth of Sauron had been so devoted to Sauron that he forgot his own name, and no one (except maybe Sauron) knew it.
sab
@SectionH: I can understand the confusian. I only just learned one of the celsius rhymes, and 24 celsius would be very nice. 24 farenheit is well below freezing. We will have to scrape off the car windows to go anywhere, and all the flower buds just froze.
sab
Pitbull woke me up about three hours ago to go pee. Then she took a very very long stroll through the backyard. So when she finally came back in I was wide awake and have been ever since. Meanwhile she is contentedly snoring on my bed.
TBone
I want to thank everyone here for listening to me vent and helping keep me sorta sane in an insane situation yesterday. After all that, a brand new bottle of apple cider vinegar on top shelf of fridge somehow froze and cracked open, causing liquid vinegar concentrate to soak everything in the entire refrigerator 😆😭 PEW it was not a fun job to clean it all up! A sign from the gawds about my attitude?! Much better today!
SectionH
@sab: yeah, we’ve dealt. He was teasing me. When I was a kid, they taught me a formula converting F to C or vice versa.3/5 of one, add 32? But there’s nothing like feeling 13C. In the rain. Yes, Melbourne VIC. Right now it’s 11C in San Diego, with bands of rain, and I’m looking forward to staying home most of the day later. I do feel a bit sorry for 1/2 marathon ppl who are supposed to run later today, No snark, I do.
prostratedragon
After Hours, “6AM,” Howard Shore.
Whew!
pluky
@mrmoshpotato: Married to someone with a weird attachment to what he calls “bad vampire movies”. He loved it. YTMV, mine does!
Mousebumples
A few pharmacist suggestions – largely piggybacking on what others have said, with a few other additions –
Good luck! I’d say I’ll keep an eye on the thread for comments but we have a family birthday party later today, so probably won’t be until much later this evening…
Princess
@Chris T.: My experience with generic Claritin was that it did not work at all for me. Zero effect. I know that makes no sense. I don’t understand it.
satby
@Princess: As a lifelong allergy sufferer, I have long rotated between two or three formulas to get consistent relief. And I went back to getting the good decongestant in the name brand Advil allergy and congestion formula, which you need to sign for at pharmacies because it uses real ephedrine. I also am on a generic version of Singulair for my asthma, which controls leukotrienes, precursors of histamines and has reduced my general allergy symptoms dramatically. Drs will prescribe those for seasonal allergies too.
Miss Bianca
Wow, and I thought I had it bad! A few days ago I started noticing the symptoms – started popping a generic Benedryl tablet every few hours, and then, when it got really bad, I took…two at once!
Ad somehow after that the symptoms have quieted to a dull roar, so I’m back to one or so per day till the juniper pollen settles.
We’re supposed to get more snow this week so…yay? Yay-ish?
kalakal
@Kristine:
Truth. I’d never had an allergy till I moved to Fl.
First year live oak pollen wiped me out, I’ve gotten used to it (ish). Neti pots are good, wearing an N95 when near trees is good. Don’t do well with antihistamines, they make me super drowsy. Main problem I have is the allergy clogs up my sinuses so I have terrible pressure headaches.
As a bonus I found out the hard way that wasp/hornets stings send me into anaphylaxis. Epinephrine saved my life.
The allergy shots* worked and now if stung I should be ok, I’m so grateful
* 5 years of having vespid venom injections every few weeks
Bill Arnold
If one has forced air heating, the furnace filter(s) should be good enough to stop pollen. Pollen is big, like 10-50 microns (or bigger), maybe 20-25 for allergy-causing pollens, so a max rating filter isn’t needed to stop pollen, and can stress the furnace fan.
They’re super easy to inspect/change, for those who avoid house maintenance. Also, the reduce general dust levels in the house a lot, e.g. reducing the need for dusting by a factor of 5 or 10.
Also, as Mousebumples says, consider wearing a decent particulate mask outside, like a N95, at least on bad pollen days. It really makes a difference. (Especially when raising dust outside, like when mowing a lawn.)