Climate change appears to be bringing about a longer period of sneezing and itching for seasonal allergy sufferers.
That’s according to a recently released report that shows pollen could start up to 40 days earlier, and last nearly 20 days longer, each season as climate change progresses in the years and decades ahead. In other words, nearly two more months of runny noses and itchy eyes.
Springtime blooms and growth could begin 10 to 40 days earlier while summer and fall weeds and grasses last four to 10 days longer, according to a recent study by Allison L. Steiner, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Michigan, and Yingxiao Zhang, research assistant and postdoctoral scholar, also with the University of Michigan.
In the Sonoran Desert, it’s palo verde and mesquite trees, as well as Bermuda grass, that are among the biggest culprits, said Dr. Tara Carr, an allergy and immunology specialist with Banner University Medical Center-Tucson.
Dry conditions and wind means even more airborne particles.
Can allergies make you feel as sick as you do with a bad cold?
“Absolutely,” said Carr, who specializes in allergic rhinitis, asthma and immunology and is president of the Tucson Asthma Society. “It can be like a bad cold that doesn’t go away.”
Warm weather and water are two key factors for a bad allergy season, she said. The rains that fell here during the summer and fall of 2021, for example, can mean more blooms this spring-into-summer.
Carr said people with bad seasonal allergies do not need to get tested to know exactly what it is they are reacting to because it won’t change their treatment options.
“As an allergist, I love knowing what people are reacting to, but the practicality of it is that, unless you can do something to mitigate it” it’s not necessary, she said.
“If it’s just springtime allergies, they don’t need to run out and get tested because it’s not going to change the way they can get help.”
Tests better serve people who have chronic sinus problems and want to know what it is that causes the endless sneezing and itching.
“If the allergy is from an animal that lives in your home, yes,” she said of testing, as an example.
People suffering from seasonal allergies can find relief from a variety of antihistamine pills that are found in local pharmacies. She also recommends nasal steroid sprays.
“They are really, really safe, and they’re appropriate to use for long periods of time,” she said.
Another recommendation: Salt water rinses out the pollen and calms the nasal tracts.
It’s also important to watch for sinus infection, which can mostly resolve on its own but if it lasts for more than a week or includes a fever or thick, discolored drainage, antibiotics might be needed.
Mild COVID-19 symptoms can look a lot like allergies, so testing for COVID is important.
Watch as this bobcat stalks his prey and then catches it. Let this remind you not to leave small pets outside unattended. Video by Sandra McCauley.
