Pickle Barrel
SPRING IS ABOUT to be sprung and with it comes an increase in air pollution (smog) as well as a high pollen count in the air. Breathing can become hazardous to your health and millions of Canadians are embarking upon several months of allergy misery.
For the next three months, allergies to grass and pollen will be predominant. During the hot, hazy summer days, the pollution index often increases to a dangerously high level for many people who are prone to asthma, environmental allergies and chronic chest disease. From August through the fall it is ragweed season.
Seasonal allergies have a definite relationship to family history. If one parent has asthma the chances of a child having the same or another allergic phenomenon such as eczema or environmental allergies are increased. This incident is even greater if both parents have an atopic history.
Although asthma and eczema may present within a few months after birth, environmental allergies normally do not present themselves until after a year and a half to two years of age.
Symptoms vary from person to person. Nasal symptoms include nasal discharge sneezing, itchiness, and pain in the sinus area. The typical child with nasal symptoms can be spotted from a distance by his “nasal salute,” the constant rubbing of his hand across his nose.
The eyes may also be red, itchy and puffy.
The child will likely experience excessive mucus in the throat which constantly has to be cleared. He or she may also have a scratchy feeling in the throat and a cough from irritation of the lining in the back of the nasopharynx.
There is no cure for environmental allergies. At best we can work to control the symptoms. Environmental allergies result from living in a large city and in a northern climate with seasonal changes. Symptoms can be minimized only by moving to an “environmentally friendly” area such as Arizona.
The most effective defence is to start treatment before the season begins. Getting a head start will minimize symptoms. There are numerous over the counter medications such as children’s Claritin and Reactin, that can help the allergy sufferer. Some of thes allergies meds will have side-effects such as increased fatigue. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before giving any medication to your child.
In the old days when I was first in practice we used to give numerous “allergy shots.” Unfortunately this was very timeconsuming and painful. Today there are many safe effective prescription medications available to control symptoms. These include oral medications, nasal sprays such as Flonase and eye drops such as Patanol. These must be used on a daily basis throughout the entire allergy season.
Air conditioning with a HEPA filter can also be quite helpful. The windows in the house should be kept closed at all times. I have real empathy for allergy sufferers, however their misery can be eased with proper management by a physician.
I wish you a “sneeze-free” allergy season! 
Post City Magazines’ kids health writer, Dr. Mickey Lester, has been a Toronto pediatrician for more than 30 years and is the former Chief of Pediatrics at Trillium Health Centre. You can hear him on CFRB, Sunday mornings, from 9 to 10 a.m..
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