This morning The Today Show offered viewers advice about dealing with allergies. As many as 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and this year allergy season is hitting some places especially hard because of the relatively mild winter.
_Host Matt Lauer says the worst places for allergy sufferers are Hartford, CT, Greenville, SC, and Boston, MA. If you’ve got a cold that’s lasted for weeks with symptoms of coughing, sneezing, and congestion, then you’re probably experiencing seasonal allergies.
_The Today Show segment points out that allergy sufferers cough up about 6 billion dollars a year for allergy expenses. Also, 52% of allergy sufferers say that their allergies adversely affect their work, and allergy sufferers take about 4 million sick days a year. Consider checking out this legal life care planning resource to afford future treatment.
_’One of the things we’re seeing,’ says Lauer as he interviews Dr. Michael Stewart, ‘is more and more people who have no symptoms of allergies into their 30s and maybe even their 40s, all the sudden developing allergies. Do we have any ideas to why that might be happening?’
_Dr. Stewart, an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist, explains the prevailing theory known as Hygiene Hypothesis. According to this theory, our immune system was designed to fight off bacteria and viruses, but the immune system does not have as much work to do in today’s developed world because of better public health, vaccinations, cleaner food and water, etc. Therefore, the immune system re-directs its energy and becomes more sensitive to other invaders like allergens.
_Dr. Stewart also warns against taking too much over-the-counter medication: ”If you have allergies that last long periods of time that are not controlled by the over-the-counter medications, don’t just take more of them. That’s when it’s time to go see the doctor.’
‘Allergen avoidance,’ says Dr. Stewart, ‘obviously would prevent the allergies from happening . . . Using air filters, cleaning on the inside, and trying to avoid being outside during the time of year that you have particular sensitivity is a good idea.’
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