So what is in the air? Look out for seasonal tree pollens now wherever you are and learn more about these allergy culprits that are likely to be not only in your backyard — but also in your nose and eyes!  

Plant pollens such as trees, grasses and weeds are not the only allergens that affect the us while working in the garden. Many mold spores also affect people in the outdoors, seasonally, or even year round.

If there is an existing pollen problem in your landscape, replace that plant with a less allergenic selection.  A system that may help you do this and indicates the likelihood of a plant’s potential to cause allergy is the Ogren Plant Allergy Scale.

A pollen-producing tree in your own yard will expose you to up to ten times the amount of pollen as would the same tree planted just down the block from your home! 

Here are some more allergy sufferer’s tips for you and your yard:

• Wear a pollen mask while gardening
• Keep grass cut short
• Avoid touching your eyes and nose while gardening
• Plan outdoor time for rainy, wet, cloudy and windless days — which usually have lower pollen counts
• After yard work, leave your clothing outside of your bedroom, brush off your shoes and rinse your glasses. Also, wear gloves to minimize local contact and reduce irritation to the skin of your hands and arms
• Limit your gardening to short intervals on “high” pollen days
• If you are allergic to mold spores, avoid damp places and stagnant water
• Proximity and location of pollen-producing trees, shrubs and plants will affect your exposure to seasonal allergens
• Planting female trees in one’s own yard may trap incoming airborne pollen from male plants

Other resources are www.aaaaai.org and www.allergyandasthmarelief.org

Happy planting!

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine. He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. No information in this blog is intended as medical advice to any reader or intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

The first step is to reduce outdoor seasonal “triggers” by identifying the plants and flowers that will cause you discomfort. Get tested to choose the “right” plants, shrubs and flowers that are better for you. By knowing your allergies you can also plan ahead and modify your gardening schedule. This involves having the knowledge regarding peak periods throughout the day to the culprit allergens as well as staying tuned to learn the pollen count in your town or city.

Pollen counts from the previous day are available for main cities via the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) as well as in local newspapers and with the daily weather reports on radio and TV. The Web site for the National Allergy Bureau is www.aaaai.org/nab.

You may need to adjust your planting and/or gardening activities as seasonal symptoms such as itchiness of the eyes, nose and throat, sneezing may be worse on windy, dry, sunny and clear days may be associated with greater airborne pollens as wet, cloudy and windless days can see a reduction in outdoor plant pollens.

Colorful flowers:
Plants with bright, showy flowers are better for people who have allergies. Their pollen is large and because they are pollinated by insects, the pollen is seldom airborne. Plants that cause allergies usually have flowers that are small and insignificant looking and have no color for attracting nectar.

The following trees, shrubs, and plants have been found to be BETTER for people with allergies:

If you are considering adding trees to your landscape, you should AVOID planting the following:

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine. He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. No information in this blog is intended as medical advice to any reader or intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

With allergy season just around the corner, let’s take a minute to review some early tips to help you survive allergy misery.  Many sufferers have allergy symptoms that affect your eyes and eyelids and can be quite troublesome. Allergy medications may often work better if you start them just before the season begins. 

Right now, we are seeing early tree pollens such as juniper, cedar, elm, alder and maple in many regions of the country.  The late winter pollens cause “early” spring suffering even before the trees grow leaves! 

Here are a few practical tips:

• LIDS OFF: Gently irrigate your eyelids (while your eyes are closed) with a mild, tear-free “baby” shampoo to remove excess allergens and pollutants which may have accumulated.  Check with your provider (especially if you wear contact lenses or have other eye problems) to learn whether anti-allergy eye and/or moisturizing drops may also be helpful and safe.

• BLOCK YOUR EYES: Wear sunglasses to block pollens from entering and getting into your eyes.

• WASH WISELY:  Rinse off your eyeglasses and shower and shampoo your hair every night to remove allergy causing pollens that collect during the day.

Stay tuned for more late-breaking successful seasonal allergy survival tips to come …

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine. He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. No information in this blog is intended as medical advice to any reader or intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

If you believe your summer and fall allergies are actually getting worse, you are probably correct.  For a quick explanation, good old global warming and overproduction of greenhouse gases may be the cause. More than 40 million allergy sufferers in the U.S. have seasonal and year-round allergies. Studies show that plant pollen production such as ragweed (season starts mid-August) and spring tree pollens go way up as a result of exposure to carbon dioxide, a major contributor in greenhouse gases.

Plant ecologist Lewis Ziska with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is a pioneer in studying allergies and climate change.  The warmer temperatures are also having an effect even in Alaska, leading to a possible increase in pollen and mold allergies as well as stinging insects.  An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a leading authority on effects of global warming) as well as the U.S. EPA cites an increase in allergic reactions.

Data from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology show that one ragweed plant can produce 1 billion pesky pollen grains that wreak misery to those sufferers.  So if you magnify this number by two to four times you have a “mega-pollen burst”!  Pollens grains may also travel up to 400 miles leaving almost no location untouched. 

Be prepared and develop a sound survival plan:

• Pre-treat with your prescribed allergy medications before exposure
• Keep windows closed – this will reduce indoor pollen levels
• Use the air conditioner unit – place on “do not recirculate”
• Avoid certain foods that may aggravate those (about one-third of sufferers) with ragweed allergy such as bananas, melons, cucumbers, zucchini, chamomile tea, sunflower seeds and even echinacea
• Shower nightly to remove excess pollen that accumulates in your hair, skin and eyelids
• Take your summer vacation to an area where pollen levels are typically lower, such as a beach or lake
• Consider moving outdoor activities or exercise indoors during high pollen times of the day, generally between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (even more so on “windy” days)
• Check out your local pollen count at www.aaaai.org/nab

Global warming and greenhouse gases are here to stay, so sufferers let’s make ourselves better prepared in living successfully with our less allergy friendly environment. 

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended as medical advice to any reader or intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

1.      At home or when driving, keep windows closed and set air conditioner on re-circulate to keep out seasonal pollens and mold spores, if you suffer with seasonal allergies

2.      Change or wash air conditioner filters frequently

3.      If you have allergies to pets (i.e. cat) use a central air filtration system in your home and/or portable room HEPA air filter

4.      Use an exhaust fan in your bathroom to reduce mold spore growth and excess humidity

5.      Dehumidifier may be useful in below ground rooms or basements if mildew is an issue

6.      Place disposable filter covers over forced air vents in your home that may provide additional filtration

7.      Avoid open windows in your home during high pollen days (check out the local pollen count at www.aaaai.org/nab)

8.      HEPA vacuums and or pre-filter bags prevent dust from re-entering the room after vacuuming

9.      If you are very sensitive to dust, leave the room for at least 30 minutes after sweeping/cleaning to allow dust particles to settle

10.  Remove unnecessary dust collectors in the bedroom if you have indoor allergies – placing a “stuffed toy or pillow” in a zippered plastic bag in the freezer periodically will help to reduce the amount of dust mites

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

By: Dr. Clifford Bassett

Wow, it’s been a minefield out there with all the sticky and increasingly powerful seasonal pollens that wreck havoc in unsuspecting allergy sufferers.  Tree pollens are surging in many areas of the United States right now and many people are feeling the effects in their eyes and eyelids.  The immediate desire is to scratch at the eyelids for relief – but don’t do it! A good offense is a good defense. 

Here are some survival strategies:

WASH WISELY

First, use a tear-free or “baby” shampoo to irrigate gently around your closed eyelids when bathing in the morning. This will wash away unwanted airborne pollens, mold spores and pollutants.  Always check with your eye care provider if you have eye diseases such as dry-eye syndrome or other problems in which you are receiving ongoing treatment. 

Shampoo your hair at night after pollens have accumulated to reduce the transfer to your pillow and bed sheets and break “the cycle” allowing you to feel better in the morning.

BLOCK YOUR EYES!

Wear BIG sunglasses to block the entry of allergens into the eyes!

COSMETIC OR SUNSCREEN IRRITANTS

Be aware that localized application of creams, make- up and sunscreen can be irritating.

MAYBE IT’S NOT AN ALLERGY!

Make sure you do not have an infection or “dry-eye syndrome” which is handled much differently and would require a visit to your eye care provider.  Find out what their recommendation is for specific allergy and/or eye medication.

AVOID CROSS REACTIONS

Take a look at the foods you are eating. Some of them may cross-react with the airborne seasonal pollens, triggering a cross-reaction. You could end up with worse allergy symptoms that affect your eyes, nose and throat.

About one-third of those who suffer from seasonal allergies may experience “oral allergy syndrome” when eating apples, pears, hazelnuts, carrots and almonds (to name a few). The body perceives these foods as an allergy invader, therefore causing histamines and other defender substances to cause itchy, watery eyes, as well as nasal and throat itchiness.  This occurs more so during the seasonal peak levels of pollens.

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.