Are You Ready to Overcome Ragweed Season?

Facts about Ragweed Season

Ragweed is the biggest cause of hay fever for allergy sufferers. The Ragweed is a weed with a bright yellow flower and comes from the Aster plant family. Ragweed is very hardy and is usually found in soils that can’t support most vegetation and prefers hot, dry weather conditions. It is at its worst during late summer and early fall. The pollination period for Ragweed starts early August and continues until around November or until hard frost come.

One ragweed plant can create over a billion grains of pollen, it is estimated that ragweed produces over 100 million tons of pollen over the few months that it flowers. With an estimated 20% of Americans suffering from some sort of allergy, it is little wonder many people dread Ragweed season.

How Common is Hay Fever?

Millions of people all over the world suffer from allergies such as hay fever. This is largely due to the fact that during the months of August to November there are such large amounts of air-borne allergens, such as pollen, floating around in the air. The sad thing for those people who suffer from an allergy to grasses and weeds that produce large amounts of pollen, such as ragweed, is that they are virtually under house arrest for those months. By simply going outdoors, some hay fever sufferers can end up with severe reactions from the pollens they encounter.

What Causes Hay Fever?

Hay fever is the result of the body becoming sensitized to common and usually harmless substances such as pollen or grasses. The pollen or substances that the body is reacting to are called allergens and should be avoided as much as possible by the sufferer.

Some of the most common symptoms of hay fever include sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny nose. Allergies can be life threatening in some sufferers. Hay fever symptoms may also include difficulty breathing, coughing or sneezing fits, upset stomach or skin rashes. Some of the lesser known symptoms of hay fever include depression and irritability.

How To Deal With Ragweed Season

Be prepared for ragweed season by following a few common sense tips. Ragweed season begins around mid August, so start taking medication a few weeks prior to the season’s start. That way you will be giving your immune system plenty of ammunition to fight the allergy.

Talk to your doctor, if your hay fever is severe and previous medications haven’t worked well. It may be a good idea to discuss the possibility of using immunotherapy. When a patient under goes treatments of immunotherapy, small amounts of the allergen is given to the patient over a period of time to create a tolerance to the allergen, resulting in the patient having less severe symptoms. Immunotherapy can be given to the patient by injections or orally with small drops.

There are also quality air purifiers and ionizers on the market that bring an allergy sufferer a great deal of relief during the difficult months of hay fever season. There are two types of air purifiers. One of them uses a UV light and a rare metal to clean the air. It is described to be like spraying a fine mist of hydrogen peroxide or disinfectant into the air.

The other type of air purifier available uses the same rules of ionization, which is like the effect a thunderstorm has on the air. This technology is used to clean the air indoors and is completely natural.

Some other tips to keep in mind on keeping your allergies at bay are to avoid being outside at peak times of the day when pollen is at its worst.  Never leave windows and doors open in your house or car during heavy pollen times. Wear protective clothing such as goggles and facemasks while in the garden or doing other outdoor activities during bad pollen times.

If you have been outside, remove your clothing and take a shower, making sure that you remove all traces of pollen both on your body and clothing. A nasal saline solution will help to remove the pollen in your nostrils.

There are many ways to reduce the effects of hay fever in sufferers. But, if a severe reaction is continuous and not responding to treatments that are self-administered, it is important to consult a doctor to discuss treatment for relief of the symptoms. Finding relief is possible, just keep looking for what works for you.