Allergic to Life

Unfortunately, those facts aren’t likely to appear before the first buds of spring—the signal to many of us hay fever sufferers that it’s time to start breathing out of our mouths again. Still, there are some ways to mitigate the misery of allergy season.

“The first step is avoidance,” says Blumenthal. Roll up the windows, turn on the air conditioning, avoid going outdoors in the early morning and late nights when pollen counts are high, and—contrary to the hygiene hypothesis—dust and vacuum your house frequently. He acknowledges that staying indoors is a lot to ask after a long winter, and adds, “We do have some very good medicines that might be new to some patients.” For instance, the latest generation of antihistamines doesn’t have the same drowsy side effects as its predecessors on the market. New nasal steroids can help reduce inflammation, while drugs such as Singulair block leukotrienes, a substance involved in spurring allergy symptoms.

In spite of these new treatments, a 2005 survey from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America found that one in four allergy sufferers cycle through a host of new pills and sprays, “constantly trying different medications to find one that works.” Another 2006 survey endorsed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology found that more than half of all allergy sufferers experience symptoms all year long. If you’re one of them, Blumenthal recommends meeting with an allergist for a thorough history, if you haven’t already, and getting a skin or blood test to determine what’s really bothering you. For patients with persistent and severe allergies that don’t respond to other medicines, immune therapy is often the recommended treatment. In this approach, a cocktail of allergens is specially mixed for each patient and administered as a weekly shot in the arm to train the body not to react to pollen or pet dander. Monthly maintenance shots may be required for a few years, but immune therapy is successful for about 7 out of 10 patients who suffer from environmental allergies, and it has been shown to decrease the risk of asthma in children.

The needle-shy may be relieved to know that Europeans have been promoting immune therapy with sublingual allergens that dissolve under the tongue, though they have yet to win Food and Drug Administration approval. Even more treatment paths may be revealed as researchers such as Haynes learn more. Haynes adds that not being a hay fever sufferer herself doesn’t mean she lacks the motivation to help the other half of us who are miserable.

“My husband is allergic to cats,” she says. “I’m definitely motivated.”