News
Annoying Allergies: Ragweed Season
You may be noticing a lot of sniffles and sneezes in the office today or maybe you have a problem yourself! Labor Day Weekend is the peak time for fall allergies.
The ragweed is to blame for your misery today, and for the next few weeks. Ragweed can be found along roadways and near fields. This plants' pollen is just light enough to get caught in the breeze and float straight into your nostrils. "Take one ragweed pollen, plant which is not that big, it can shed about one million grains per day," says allergy doctor, Veljko Zivkovich.
The most common symptoms of a ragweed allergy are itchy eyes, stuffy nose, coughing and wheezing. You may have one symptom, or you may have all of them. It all comes down to genetics. "People who are allergic do have allergic parents, one or two. In other words, 15 to 20 percent of people become allergic."
The weather also plays a part in how bad the allergy season will be. The rain Central Iowa had late summer led to a good season for ragweed. Now allergy sufferers need to see more rain if they want relief. "If we would have now rain every other day or the next two weeks rainy, even if we have a lot of plants, the pollen gets wet heavy settles in the ground and then one has much less trouble," says Dr. Zivkovich. The weather looks to be great the next few days, so doctors and pharmacists will probably stay busy.
Here are a few tips to help you get through the ragweed season: wash your hair before bed to get any pollen out, don't hang clothes out on the line, close your windows and use the air conditioning, and stay indoors at peak hours, particulary first thing in the morning. There are also a variety of over the counter and prescription medications available to help allergies. Talk to your doctor for your best option.