Allergy season in South Florida takes place year-round with two peak seasons. During the fall and spring months, allergies tend to be at a peak. According to the South Florida ENT Associates website, the months of March to May are the peak months for oak, hickory, ash and grass allergies. As a part of Mako Media Health Update, Aarti Raja, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, discusses allergy season this year.
Q: What is going on with allergies this year that they’re getting to everyone?
A: This is the peak season for a lot of allergies. Usually we see it somewhere around the springtime and then again in the fall. And as far as springtime goes, this is around the peak time for allergy issues. It is not that it is any different from what happened last year, but yes, we’re probably noticing it a little more just because of the switch in the weather. It’s been cold, and then we’ve had a few days of it being hot, and then it’s gone back to being relatively cold for our area. This going back and forth with the temperature is probably contributing to a lot of the trees and the plants, extending the time when they bloom. As a result, with that comes the extended allergy season because of pollen.
Q: What medicines or natural remedies help deal with allergies?
A: There are a lot of different options. As far as natural remedies go, there’s a lot of research going on currently to see what might be useful. One thing that people are beginning to think about is something to do with diet. If you can take more probiotics, like things in yogurt, that may help you deal with an allergic reaction, should you have one. That’s about the only thing that the studies have shown may have a good impact. And besides that, of course, there are over-thecounter anti-allergy medications that are available at your everyday, local pharmacy, places or grocery stores. And this would include things like antihistamines that you can take to lower the way you respond to an allergic reaction to the allergen.
Q: What is the forecast for this allergy season in South Florida?
A: We’re actually a little past the peak for tree pollen. That’s a good sign. So that the peak was, I think somewhere around March 14, was like the peak time for tree pollen. So, we would think a year we’re done with tree pollen. But unfortunately, as we head into the summer, we’re going to start seeing grass pollen. We have gone past one stage, but we’re likely going to see grass pollen coming through the summer. And then of course, in the fall, there’s some other type of pollen that can come up. As far as the rest of the season goes, it depends on our temperatures. It depends on how hot or warm things will get. And based on that, things can change.
Q: Any last thoughts?
A: Currently, there’s a lot of information about allergens out there. If students have a smartphone, in fact, the weather app, the weather channel on television or the computer internet, all of them have an allergy report. They have air quality, a report that they kind of pop up on a daily basis. So, that’s something to monitor if someone is interested or if they’re concerned. That’s something they can look up pretty easily. Especially if you have smartphones handy. And that would help you prepare better for how to handle what’s coming, in the day ahead or the week ahead.
Be the first to comment on "Allergy season is in full bloom"