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Here's What May Be Causing Your Allergies This Winter
When you suffer Winter allergies, the things that are triggering your immune system tend to be ... [+] located indoors. (Photo: Getty)
gettyImagine experiencing the seasonal allergies that many people get in the Spring, Summer, and Fall—except without all that warmer and nicer weather stuff. Well, that's what having Winter allergies can be all about. It's when you suffer the same types of symptoms that clobber those with tree pollen allergies in the Spring, grass pollen allergies in the Summer and ragweed allergies in the Fall. But this suffering occurs in the middle of Winter when temperatures typically drop through much of the country and push most daily activities indoors. And here's another wonderful difference. While you may be able to avoid all that outdoor plant allergen stuff during the March through November time frame by staying indoors, things may actually be worse indoors for Winter allergy sufferers. Talk about the hazy shade of Winter.
What causes Winter allergies?Hidden dust balls can be the source of your allergic symptoms. (Photo: Getty)
gettyThat's because the things that may lead to Winter allergies tend to be located inside your home, your office, your club, that place where you get chicken wings or wherever you may spend your time away from the elements. Typically, it isn't outdoor plant stuff that causes Winter allergies unless you are in a location where plants are still blooming November through February. Instead, the Winter allergy culprits are most often stuff like dust, dust mites, dust mite poop, mold, pet dander, pet poop, parasites, cockroaches, cockroach poop, rodents, rodent poop and rodent pee. Yep, lots of things poop. So that even if you don't see it, poop there is. And if you haven't figured it out yet, poop can be bad news.
When you have allergies, your immune system reacts to substances that usually aren't true dangers to your body. Sure, the idea of breathing in some rat poop may not be on the top of your list for a Saturday night. But it's not as if rat poop is going to threaten you or start punching you in the face. That's why immune systems normally don't react to the presence of stuff like rat poop.
What are the symptoms of Winter allergies?If you have Winter allergies, though, rat poop and other indoor allergens can cause your immune system to clap back, leading to those classic seasonal allergy symptoms such as watery and itchy eyes, a runny or stuffy nose, post-nasal drip, sneezing, coughing, dry and itchy skin, rashes or even wheezing and shortness of breath. Seeing such symptoms during the Winter months may make you think of a common cold or some other type of respiratory infection. Indeed, it can be difficult to tell for sure whether you are experiencing Winter allergies rather than something contagious. That's why you shouldn't simply announce to the office that you just have allergies when you are not really sure and then proceed to get everyone infected. Therefore, it is better to maintain infection control precautions even though you may believe your symptoms are due to Winter allergies.
So, how do you tell if your symptoms are due to allergies? Well, the key to this and life in general is timing. While cold symptoms may last a few days to a week, Winter allergy symptoms will keep going and going and going. As long as the allergens—meaning the substances triggering your immune system—are still hanging around and you are trapped indoors with them, you will continue to suffer symptoms.
Now, stuff like dust, dust mites and rat poop are probably around year round. However, reactions to such indoor allergens can be greater during the Winter when more time is spent indoors and indoor ventilation may be less with windows and doors shut. Furthermore, the air inside tends to be drier during the Winter for two reasons: one, there less moisture in the cold Winter air outside and two, many indoor heating systems will recycle this dry air without humidifying it. Drier air can dry out your skin and respiratory tract membranes, which, in turn, can leave them more vulnerable to irritation and damage.
How do you prevent Winter allergy symptoms?An air purifier can help filter indoor allergens out of the air. (Photo: Getty)
gettySo what can you do to prevent and reduce Winter allergy symptoms besides stop holding raves for rats inside your house? Here are some steps to take:
Of course, unless you live in the clean room at NASA, it's likely impossible to keep your home completely allergen-free. If your symptoms persist despite all of the above, you may need over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, eye drops and nasal sprays to control your symptoms. If these don't work or you are having more severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, contact your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe stronger measures such as immunotherapy and better pinpoint what specific allergens are causing you trouble by administering allergy tests. This way instead of staying clear of like everything, you can know more specifically what to avoid.
Winter allergies can make Winter doubly difficult to deal with since few people would begin a sentence with, "The great thing about having Winter allergies is." But if you suffer from such allergies, there are steps that you can take to help weather this Winter storm.
Warm, Wet Winter May Usher In Longer Allergy Season
Experts are predicting strong El Niño conditions this winter with heavier rains and warmer temperatures. Those factors combined with the rising carbon dioxide levels causing climate change could actually worsen allergies and asthma.
However, there are things people can do to alleviate their allergy and asthma symptoms.
Acarya Lall loves the great outdoors, but not so much during allergy season.
"I've pretty much had allergies my whole life. And the symptoms? They have pretty wide range: you know stuffy noses, itchy mouths, and just like constantly sneezing all the time," explained the high school senior.
But recently, Lall has noticed a perplexing change about his seasonal allergies.
"Back then, it was more seasonal based. Especially during the spring it, was higher," Lall said. "And during the wintertime I barely had any allergies at all. But during the last couple of years, that's definitely changed. I've had the intense type of allergies all year around. Like there's no break."
His mother Shivani Puri has noticed the change as well.
"I don't think there's a season anymore. It's just continuous. It seems like it has progressively gotten worse over the years. It does impact his day-to-day functioning, because he wakes up all congested. He'll be sneezing for the first 40 minutes. And it continues throughout the day," Puri noted.
Lall's experience is far from unique. Research shows seasonal allergies are lasting longer and turning more intense.
CBS NEWS Bay Area turned to Stanford Medicine's Sean Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research for some perspective and Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah had some answers as to why this is happening.
"Climate change is what's happening," remarked Dr. Chinthrajah.
As a pulmonologist and allergist, Chinthrajah is concerned about the warming planet.
"This is what's causing adverse health effects for humans," she noted.
In a recent study, Stanford researchers discovered how the Bay Area's pollen and mold season has lengthened by 8 to 9 weeks.
"We saw longer durations of pollen seasons because of rising temperatures," said the allergy specialist.
In fact, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2023 will likely be the hottest year ever recorded.
In addition, according to NOAA, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at an all-time high.
Dr. Chinthrajah connected the dots to explain the excess pollen.
"We have higher temperatures because of increased greenhouse gases. One of those gases is carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide is what plants use for photosynthesis. And as there's more carbon dioxide around, plants are using this in addition to warm climates to produce more plants and more pollen," remarked the specialist.
In addition to higher pollen and mold counts, another phenomenon may be in store. Climate change has boosted the chances of severe thunderstorms, and that increase the possibility of what's called "thunderstorm asthma."
Thunderstorms create a unique set of weather factors, that can break up pollen and mold spores into tiny fragments. These particles are then easier to inhale and lodge into the lower part of the lungs and exacerbate asthma.
"That's been well documented in Australia, this thunderstorm asthma effect, as well as in other parts of the U.S. Where we've had thunderstorms because of extreme weather," explained Chinthrajah.
So as we prepare for a warmer, wetter winter, there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of severe allergies. Some hay fever seasons may begin as early as January because of the warmer temperatures.
"Minimize your exposure to allergens in mindful ways and to really keep proper medications on hand, "said Chinthrajah.
The American Public Health Association also published a good tip sheet for those suffering from allergies and asthma.
As for Lall, he told CBS News Bay Area that for his generation and those to come will do all they can to fight climate change. That includes reducing each individual's carbon footprint.
"We have more incentive to try to change it because we know it affects our future," Lall said.
More from CBS News
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Dungeness crab season delays bring frustration to SF Bay seafood industry
Physician And Patient (Un)Wellness In Allergy And Immunology During COVID-19 And Beyond: Lessons For The Future
The following is a summary of "Allergy and Immunology Physician and Patient (Un)Wellness During COVID-19 and Beyond: Lessons for the Future," published in the November 2023 issue of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by Bingemann, et al.
The COVID-19 outbreak made both patients and doctors more stressed and less healthy. Uncertainty, regular changes, fear of getting sick or dying, and problems with the supply chain put extra stress on a healthcare system that was already broken. Control, regularity, and confidence make for a good workplace. The outbreak took away these things. During this time, the number of depressed, suicidal, and anxious doctors and people in the general population went up. These problems got worse because people had different ideas about masks and vaccines.
These things, along with how much people felt appreciated or not, also made stress worse. Some changes, like switching to video, were stressful initially, but they made patients happy and kept clinical care going. Some changes could have been better, like teaching or watching young children while working. Both patients and doctors did their best to deal with loneliness, fear, worry, and the many changes in society. During the pandemic, burnout changed depending on the number of infections, the number of vaccinations, problems with the supply chain, and the amount of support given to each person.
The pandemic brought to light problems in their healthcare system, such as structural racism, differences in healthcare, and how quickly the system can become overloaded. Doctors may have been put in positions they didn't want to be in or may need more staff to practice how they wanted. Patients and doctors both got angry because of these things. In its National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, the government says that health care needs to be reformed so that patients can get good, safe care and doctors don't get burned out.
Source: sciencedirect.Com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213219823009273
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