According to Barbara A. Muller, MD, University of Iowa associate professor of clinical medicine, division of allergy-immunology, you are probably one of 36 million Americans who suffer from hay fever and fall allergies. According to Muller, who has studied allergies for almost 10 years, hay fever is the fifth most prevalent chronic condition in the United States and is given as the reason for more than 10 million physician visits and two million missed days of school each year.
Hay fever is the most common allergy in the United States.
There is no known cure and, short of moving to the South Pole, the first hard frost of the season is the only guaranteed relief you can expect. Muller said, that while the symptoms are miserable, fortunately seasonal allergies are generally not life threatening. Your sneezing, wheezing, stuffy nose and itchy, watery eyes, result from your body's allergic reaction to molds and tree and plant pollen. An allergy is an abnormal reaction to an ordinarily harmless substance called an allergen. The best way to fend off offending pollens is to avoid them.