Oasis Advanced Wellness Health Forum

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Seasional Allergies

A recent research shows that more than 50 million Americans have allergies, or one in every five, according to the National Institutes of Health. Allergic rhinitis (inflammation in the nasal area) is the most common allergic disease, affecting at least 20% to 25% of the population. Allergy ranks as the 6th leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S, costing almost $6 billion in workplace productivity, annually. Direct health care costs of allergic rhinitis are increasing each year.

Allergy is an adverse immune reaction of your body to a foreign substance; a protein or allergen such as pollen or pet dander; that enters or comes in contact with the body through the environment, normally harmless to the non-allergic individual, otherwise.

The two main types of allergies are seasonal and perennial.

Seasonal allergies like hay fever are more common in the spring and fall when plant pollination begins. Trees and grass cause most symptoms in the spring, while ragweed is responsible for the majority of autumn symptoms.

Perennial allergies are usually year-round problems. Common triggers for perennial allergies include mould spores, pet dander and dust mites.