Allergy – Allergy Health Issues News & Articles by HealthTree

Photo Credit: Ian Muttoo

A lot of people I know think allergies are only something that happens when birds are singing and flowers are blooming. Spring gets all of the allergy attention, but fall has some pretty serious allergens as well. I’m lucky enough to know about both seasons because I’m allergic to something from each. Fall allergens include:

• Dust mites
• Mold
• Ragweed

Which of these am I allergic to? All of them. In fact, I’m so allergic to dust mites that I have to be on two medications to prevent symptoms. I live in Florida, so there is almost no way to get rid of the little buggers and without the medications I am a mess. Even with my medication, if I get a face full of dust I’m down and out for days till my system gets back to normal. As luck would have it dust mites are around year round but they get rowdy when they are stirred up in the fall by dirty ductwork being kicked back on. This was especially troublesome for me when I was in school. Those ducts were mostly unused during the summer months then poof, I’d get hit with a lung-full of the stuff when I’d go back. To make matters worse, during the fall I can’t escape outside because I’m allergic to ragweed and mold too!

Mold is insidious, it hides in damp piles of leaves along with indoor places like bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements.

Finally, we have ragweed. That little fiend is the leader of the fall allergen pack. Not only is it number one but it is sneaky. It’s so light that it can float on the wind to reach you hundreds of miles away. I thought keeping my lawn mowed and killing all that was around me would keep me safe, but no. It hunts me like a barn cat after a mouse. Ragweed allergies are actually pretty common in people with other pollen allergies, so I know I’m not the only one suffering year round.

What I didn’t know, until recently, was that being allergic to ragweed makes me more susceptible to having an allergic reaction to foods. Foods such as zucchini, bananas, melons, cucumber, chamomile, and sunflower seeds are all more likely to cause a mild to moderate reaction in people allergic to ragweed, especially if that person is being exposed to ragweed. Luckily, I don’t like any of those foods. I do wonder though, if it is because I’m allergic to them or if I just don’t like the way they taste. Hmmm.

Do you have fall allergies? Which one(s) are you allergic to?