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Thanks to a deluge during winter, the hills around Southern California are deep green this spring, the wildflowers are in radiant bloom, and ash, walnut and cedar trees are well into their growing season. But there’s a downside to all this natural beauty runny noses, itchy eyes, headaches and other irritating and sometimes downright distressful symptoms of allergies. If your child already suffers from seasonal allergies, you can expect this season to be worse than usual, and if your family has been allergy-free, a season like this is more likely than most to bring on a reaction in sensitive individuals. “When there has been a lot of winter rain, people with mild allergies really notice an increase in their symptoms come spring,” says Dr. James Munson, a pediatric allergist in private practice in Redlands. “And some people come into the office reporting the onset of symptoms they haven’t experienced in the past.” In this region, the common offenders are trees, weed and grasses. All are pollinating as the rains give way to sunshine and warm temperatures. Notice the signs It is fairly easy to recognize that your child has allergies if his or her symptoms are bouts of sneezing, itchy eyes and an itchy mouth. But in some children, the symptoms of hay fever are the same as a cold - stuffy or runny nose and sneezing, and a headache. Since children between the ages of 2 and 5 have an average of eight colds each year, it can be difficult for parents to realize where a cold ends and the onset of allergies begins. It is even possible that your child’s only allergic symptoms will be a headache and a stuffy nose. If those symptoms persist, then your doctor may recommend allergy testing, especially this spring, when pollen counts are expected to be exceptionally high. Keep in mind that if you or your spouse suffered or continues to suffer from hay fever, your child is 50% more likely than the average child to develop seasonal allergies, and if both of you have allergies, your child is 72% more likely to be afflicted. If you and your doctor suspect that your child has allergies, your child will probably be given a hypersensitivity skin test, which is a series of pricks on the back with needles that are tipped with various allergens. By observing your child’s skin response, an allergist can evaluate what your child is allergic to, and how severe his or her allergy is to a given substance. Once a child is diagnosed with allergies, the first step in treatment is avoidance, says Cathy Pollak, health educator at the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, Southern California Chapter. One way to reduce the allergens in your home is with a HEPA (High Energy Particulate Absorption) filter. “HEPA filters remove the smallest particulates in the air that can aggravate allergy and asthma patients,” says Pollak. A whole-house HEPA filter continuously circulates the air throughout the house, removing the allergens that creep inside through open doors, cracks between windows and walls, and on the soles of our shoes. A HEPA vacuum cleaner also reduces the amount of dust that is blown into the air each time you clean. “A lot of people find relief using these filters,” says Pollak, but she cautioned that a filter is just one part of an overall allergy management plan. “A HEPA filter isn’t going to make all your child’s symptoms suddenly go away.” Medicines as treatment If your child’s allergies are interfering with his or her life and general health, then medications will probably be the next step in treatment. Typically, a doctor will start by prescribing an oral antihistamine, or your physician might recommend allergy shots, instead. Munson says that allergy shots can be especially helpful in patients with pollen allergies. The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma organization (ARIA) cautions parents against using alternative therapies such as homeopathy, herbalism or acupuncture to treat their child’s allergies. Large-scale studies to test the effectiveness and safety of these remedies have not been done. A useful tool for parents and physicians in determining when a child should start treatment is your area’s pollen count. Pollen and mold counts are posted by zip code on this site www.allergyactionplan.com. Often a child is diagnosed with allergies, especially severe ones, and parents often wonder if moving to a different location might help alleviate their child’s symptoms. While most families probably wouldn’t consider moving just to treat their child’s allergies, it is important for parents to understand that, usually, moving won’t solve the problem. “If there was an ideal place for people with allergies or asthma to live, we’d all know about it,” says Pollak. Still, if you know what your child is allergic to and you can spend time in an environment where those allergens don’t exist, then your child can experience temporary relief from his or her symptoms, without medication. Much research has focused recently on why allergies and asthma are increasingly common, especially in children. (Children with allergies do not necessarily develop asthma, but allergies can be a trigger for asthma.) One theory that has received significant media coverage is the link between excessive cleanliness and allergies. “There is evidence that our super cleanliness may increase our risk for allergies,” says Munson. “Children who grow up in a dirty environment have fewer allergies.” Pollak says that a corollary to this theory is energy efficiency and childhoods that are dominated by indoor entertainment. “The buildings that we live in, go to school in, and work in are more airtight and insulated than they were in the past,” says Pollak. “We are trapping allergens inside of our homes and children spend more time in their homes on the computer and watching television than they used to. They are inside, breathing in these allergens.” Parents often wonder if their children will outgrow their allergies. “If you follow children who develop allergies before the age of 5, when they hit puberty about one-third of them will lose their symptoms, another third will improve and then their symptoms will return when they are young adults, and a third will always have allergies,’ says Munson. “So yes, practically speaking, there is a chance that your child will outgrow it.” Katherine Noble-Goodman is a Redlands-based writer. By the numbers More than 35 million people in the United States suffer from allergic rhinitis or hay fever, and depending on where you live, the season lasts from a few months to nearly three-quarters of the year. In the Southland, short, mild winters make for a long allergy season that starts in early spring and lasts late into the fall. Grass grows from March through December, weeds are typically a problem from June or July through November, and trees are in bloom from January or February through December. “We can grow anything around here and we have a long season,” says Munson. “There is very little time here when you get freedom from allergies.” Still, the Los Angeles Basin wasn’t high on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s list of the worst places to live if you have fall allergies. A spring list, due out next month, can be read at www.allergyactionplan.com/. Austin, Texas topped the list as the worst city for allergy sufferers, followed by Knoxville and then Memphis Tenn., Kansas City, Mo. and Tulsa, Okla. Los Angeles was 91st. But if you or your child is allergic, that’s little consolation. |
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