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Family Allergy Asthma & Sinus Care is located in Charlotte, NC, (Pineville), Enjoy our Educational Blog:

Spring is in the air

March through May is peak tree pollen season. A single plant can release up to a billion grains of pollen per season. While most of the pollen grains fall within a few feet, some may blow in the wind for many miles. For those persons allergic to pollen, only a few hundred pollen grains are needed to cause itchy, watery eyes, nasal stuffiness, sneezing, runny nose and fatigue. These symptoms can decrease your quality of life: interfere with sleep and daily activities, become less productive at work, less effective learning at school and lead to sinus infections.

It is difficult to avoid exposure to pollens, but here are some tips to minimize exposure:

Check pollen counts daily.
Stay indoors when the pollen count is reported to be high, and on windy days when pollen may be present in higher amounts in the air.
The best time for outdoor activities is after it rains which helps reduce pollen in the air.
Minimize early morning activity when pollen is usually emitted between 5-10 a.m.
Wear sunglasses to prevent pollen entering the eyes and a hat to prevent pollen in your hair.
Hire someone else do your yard work or wear a respiratory face mask.
Avoid freshly cut grass and mowing the lawn.
Keep windows closed to prevent pollens from drifting into your home.
Keep your car windows closed when traveling.
Remove your shoes before entering your house.
Shower and wash your hair before bed to prevent tracking pollen into your room.
Wipe off pets to remove pollen prior to them entering your house.
Avoiding drying clothes outside on peak pollen days.
If you have pollen-food allergy syndrome, avoid fresh fruits and vegetables with cross reactive proteins.

When avoidance measures are not enough, various medications can relieve the symptoms. For those persons with moderate to severe symptoms, allergy shots can improve symptoms, potentially prevent developing new allergies and possibly prevent the development of asthma and prevent asthma exacerbations. Allergy shots can reduce symptoms in up to 85% of patients with seasonal allergies. Find relief now and schedule an appointment for your evaluation and individualized treatment plan.

Does you mouth itch when you eat fresh fruits

The Pollen-Food Allergy Syndrome (formerly call Oral Allergy Syndrome) is a common yet benign condition caused by cross-reactive proteins in fresh fruits or vegetables and pollens. The symptoms of lip, tongue, mouth and palate itching, tingling and mild swelling occurs after the ingestion of fresh, but not cooked fruits and vegetables, and occasionally nuts and spices. The particular protein is heat-labile which means that the high temperature from cooking breaks down (denatures) the protein such that it does not cause symptoms. This syndrome is especially common in individuals with “hay fever” or seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Common Pollen-Food Allergy associations include:

Birch tree pollen—-fresh apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, carrot, celery, soy strawberry, hazelnut, peanut

Ragweed pollen—- fresh melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew), banana, cucumber, zucchini, tomato

Mugwort pollen —- fresh apple, carrot, celery, kiwi, peanut, spices (aniseed, fennel, caraway, parsley, coriander)

Grass pollen ——-fresh peaches, tomato, celery and melons

Treatment typically includes avoiding the fresh food if symptoms are bothersome especially during the allergy season. Another way to reduce reactions is to bake or microwave the food. Eating canned food may limit the reaction. Peeling the food before eating may be helpful, as the offending protein is often in the skin.

The risk of a severe allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis is low; however, if symptoms include difficulty breathing, cough, wheeze, hives, severe throat tightness, rapid pulse or loss of consciousness (shock), seek emergency care as this could indicate a severe food allergic reaction.

Decoding Food Allergies: Break the Code

Do you want to know how severe your milk, egg or peanut allergy can be? These tests can help!

Allergies to egg, peanut and cow's milk are among the most common food allergies affecting children. These reactions can range from serious, life threatening (such as anaphylaxis) to milder reactions such as hives. But, how do you know if the reaction will be mild or severe?

While testing for egg, peanut and milk allergies have been available for many years, there have been limitations. Allergy skin testing has been very useful but only offers insight into how likely a reaction will be. A large skin test reaction suggests a reaction is “highly likely,” but is unable to predict how severe a reaction will be. A negative reaction is helpful in predicting that a food allergy is not present. Advances in food protein science have made it possible for allergists to now help predict the severity of food allergies to milk, egg and peanut. A blood test where serum IgE (the allergic antibody) is measured to certain specific proteins in milk, egg, and peanut is now available. This is called “component testing”. Having these answers may alleviate the fear many patients and their families face every day