Have you noticed that the main topic of conversation in the last few weeks has been people are experiencing sudden irritating symptoms? I’ve seen tweets, facebook posting and emails about symptoms that are affecting people so much it is impacting their daily activities.
Many people are wondering what is going on. Am I getting sick or what?
It is a great question.
In February and March, people are usually dealing with cold and flu symptoms however this year the symptoms seem a little bit worse. Seasonal allergies don’t generally start to show up until April or May however with the warm temperatures they have been starting early.
While I am fortunate enough not to suffer from environmental allergies, when I walk to my car and it is a bright yellow color instead of the calm gold I have to take notice of the pollen!
I’ve even caught myself sneezing because of all of the particles of pollen in the air so I know it has been hard for people that have yearly allergies. With the tulips and cherry blossoms blooming environmental allergies have been impacting many people’s lives earlier than normal too.
So if you have been feeling fatigued, or you have been coughing or sneezing, you might be wondering, "am I catching or cold?" or "do I have spring allergies?" They both share common symptoms of sneezing, watery eyes itching, or congestion.
Cold and flu symptoms usually come on in the winter months and they generally last only about 7 to 10 days. Since cold and flu symptoms are caused by a virus or bacteria, they generally have fevers (either mild or high) and you will see a greenish yellowish discharge because of the infection.
Spring allergies are a little different. Spring allergies tend to come at the change of season and can last for the entire season, up to a few months. I think allergies have taken people by surprise because they seem to have come so early this year.
Environmental allergies can happen anytime of year, depending on what you are allergic to, but they generally come in the spring and in the fall. Allergies come from your immune system reacting to a substance that it deems to be dangerous to your health.
Scientist believe that allergies are very specific to each individual because they have a genetic component and well as an environmental component. With environmental allergic reactions, your immune system falsely believes that the pollen or mold spores is dangerous to your health and is over-reacting.
The over-reaction can show up as mild symptoms of a runny nose, sneezing, or itching. Symptoms can show up on your skin as itching or a rash. Or symptoms can be more severe like inducing an asthma attack!
So if you are experiencing symptoms, take a moment to consider if you have a cold or if are having an attack of spring allergies. Allergies can begin to develop as you get older so it is possible that you haven’t had allergies in the past this year you are being impacted.
Dr. Dae
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Dr. Dae is a Naturopathic Physician who practices in the Washington DC metro area treats the whole person using safe and effective combinations of traditional and natural methods to produce optimal health and well-being in the lives of her patients.
Sources:
"Allergy: MedlinePlus." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/allergy.html
"A Cold or Allergies: Which Is It? ." KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/allergies/coldvsallergy.html
Reviewed April 3, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith