Pollen Count and Allergic Reactions: Treatments from Phoenix Allergist
Unless you’re severely allergic to something and ingesting it could harm you, allergies are mostly non-life threatening. But even so, mucus-filled sinuses and teary eyes are enough to get you feeling sluggish and unwilling to do anything but hold a tissue box and wait for it to pass.
There are many sources of allergies like food, some types of medicine, and things like dust and animal hair. Among the common allergens that get a lot of folks temporarily bedridden for days is pollen, which are tiny particles that plants use to fertilize each other. In fact, allergy to pollen is so common that there are various websites and news resources that keep track of pollen count, which is a numerical value assigned to describe how much pollen there could be outdoors at a given time.
According to HowStuffWorks.com writer Karen Serrano, MD:
When you hear or read about the daily pollen or mold count, it’s yesterday’s count. It represents the pollen or mold samples taken during the previous 24 hours. Pollen and mold counts are usually reported as low, moderate, high, or very high. These represent your risk of developing allergy symptoms. So if the pollen count is high, you have a high chance of having symptoms if you’re allergic to pollen.
Furthermore:
Generally, the higher the count for your allergens, the greater your risk of developing allergy symptoms if you’re exposed. However, it isn’t absolute. Your allergy symptoms may also be affected by recent exposure to other allergens, the intensity of the exposure, and how allergic you are to the various allergens.
Allergic reactions, like stuffy noses, itchy skin, and swelling are actually caused by your immune system going temporarily haywire. When particles (mostly protein) from certain things like pollen, seafood, or medicines get into the body, the immune system tries to wipe them clean, but in the process of doing so, they release too much histamine, which causes various reactions. Although staying indoors can help reduce the symptoms, finding an allergist in Phoenix can help you find treatment to reduce the reaction.
Before finding treatment, an allergist first has to determine what you’re allergic to through different kinds of testing. Then, he can work with an immunologist in Phoenix labs or clinics like the Adult &Pediatric Allergy Associates, P.C. to come up with an effective treatment that will solve your allergic overreaction.