Residents feeling allergy attacks as plants strike back

By Cori Stallings
Rockdale Neighbor Staff Writer

People pick them and cut them down, and now the plants are striking back. The weapon of choice is pollen, and it’s doing more than benefiting car wash owners, it’s wreaking havoc in the nasal passages of Rockdale residents.

Early spring and fall are the worst times of year for allergy sufferers. The pollen count is considered to be extremely high when it reaches 120. Recently it was 3,000. According to Dr. Jon Stahlman of Conyers Allergy and Asthma Center, about 20 percent of the population suffers from some type of pollen allergy.

Sneezing, runny noses, itchy eyes and coughing are the most common reactions the antibodies trigger and are the most obvious sign of an allergic reaction to pollen. Another reaction not commonly associated is the presence of an itchy palate.

"Allergy symptoms are pretty much a package deal," said Dr. Stahlman. "Sometimes, however, I’ll see people with just an itchy mouth or itchy eyes."

There are some precautions allergy sufferers can take to help reduce the occurrence of attacks.

"Allergy sufferers should change clothes when coming in from outside, take showers and wash their hair to remove pollen that may come in with them," said Stahlman.

Dr. Joel Alexander of Alexander Ear, Nose, and Throat agrees.

"Avoiding pollen is the best defense, but that’s almost impossible," said Dr. Alexander. "One thing that people can do to avoid attack is to keep the windows in their homes and vehicles closed and run the air conditioner system even on nice days. They may also want to invest in some type of air filtering system for their homes."

For those who suffer from allergies, there are a multitude of over-the-counter remedies. In some cases, those remedies provide allergy sufferers all the relief that is needed. "Some people don’t realize that using a simple saline nose spray will do the job," says Alexander. "It will rinse the nasal passages, and it doesn’t have any side effects."

Side effects of medications are one reason some people would rather suffer the attack. Sleepiness is the most common effect.

There are second generation histamines available by prescription that may work to alleviate allergy symptoms with fewer side effects.

"Second generation histamines are non-sedating and are administered only once a day," said Alexander.

Sometimes, however, even prescription pills and sprays don’t do the trick. When that occurs it may be time to consider injection therapy.

"Studies have shown that allergy shots are quite effective," said Stahlman. "Shots are recommended for use when over-the-counter medications and prescription pills and sprays fail, or the symptoms or medications interfere with a patient’s quality of life,"

The shots contain what is essentially a pollen vaccine and are given as a treatment that is decreased over a period of time. The shots are given weekly, then monthly, and are phased out completely over a three- to five-year period of time.