For many people, the first sign of spring isn t a blooming flower or a robin on a green lawn. They know it s spring when allergic rhinitis otherwise known as hay fever takes over. More than 14 million Americans, children and adults, suffer in varying degrees from hay fever, which actually has nothing to do with hay and is not a fever.
Allergic rhinitis can cause sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, or a runny or stuffed up nose.
The main causes are various tree, grass, or weed pollens or molds that in our region are prevalent from spring through late summer. If you are allergic, it means your body is sensitive to a particular substance. People who have allergies are usually allergic to more than one thing. Allergy-causing substances, called antigens or allergens, make the body form antibodies. Chemicals such as histamine are released when antigens and antibodies combine.