With summer come all kinds of health concerns, like ticks, mosquitos, sunburn and too much heat.
But probably the biggest health
complaint going into the summer months is seasonal allergies, which can keep a
lot of people indoors, even though it's beautiful outside.
It's allergy season. For as many as 40 million Americans, that means a runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion and more.
Henri Hill is among them.
Henri Hill/allergy sufferer: "It's real bad in the summer. I feel best when it's very cold, like when there
is snow on the ground, that's when I can breathe and I can smell and believe it
or not, I don't have fluid build up in my ears. But in the summer it's just
terrible. "
Hill is like a lot of people with seasonal allergies. She's on medication but she still has problems.
But there is new hope on the horizon for chronic allergy sufferers. Scientists are working on a new allergy shot that is offering relief from some severe symptoms. It's called Anti IgE.
Dr. Martha White/allergist: "It's a high-tech, genetically engineered molecule that's going to act like a
non-specific allergy shot. It's given by injection every two to four weeks,
depending on the person and what their needs are, and it will battle every
allergy that you have."
But it will be expensive, and it's not likely to get FDA approval until next year, at the earliest.
Until then, you can look for relief at the drugstore: allergy pills, nose sprays, antihistamines, lozenges. All are available without a prescription. And for some people, they work well enough to control seasonal allergy symptoms.
With or without medication, some simple prevention can help you feel better.
- Avoid early morning outings if you can. Wait until after 10 am, when pollen is not likely to be as heavy.
- Shower and shampoo at night. Pollen is sticky and can go to bed with you, if you don't wash it off.
- Undress in the bathroom. That helps keep pollen out of the sleeping area, which improves the chances of getting a good night's sleep.
- And when it's possible, stay inside.
Dr. Martha While/allergist: "If you happen to be allergic to what's outside, then close your windows, use
your air conditioning or your heat so at least the pollen stays outside."
The shot has more trials to go through and must receive FDA approval,
meaning that it won't be on the market for at least a year.
The difference in the Anti IgE shot as opposed to other allergy shots, is
allergy shots today are made up of the things we're allergic to. They
de-sensitize our bodies, and fight the symptoms, not the allergies.
The
Anti IgE is designed to go after the immune system, where allergy symptoms
begin, to block them before they ever start.
