• HOME
  • BEST OF PARTY PHOTOS
  • FEATURES
    • Best Of Cover Shoot
    • Pet Owner’s Stories
    • People
    • Places
    • Issues
    • Remembering
    • Things
    • To Do
  • DEPARTMENTS
    • Finance / Real Estate
      • Financial Articles
      • Real Estate
        • Real Estate Experts
        • Top 10 Most Expensive Homes Sold
        • Articles
    • Around Town
    • Business
      • Belle Hall Shopping Center
      • Lowcountry Women in Business
      • MP Business
    • Dwellings
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Giving Back
    • Health & Wellness
    • Love & Marriage
    • Pets
    • Relax & Retire
    • Sports & Fitness
  • Read Magazine
  • MORE MAGS
    • Charleston Women 👩‍🏫🏢
    • Lowcountry Cuisine 🧀🍷
    • Best of Mt Pleasant Mag 🏆🏆
    • MP Business Mag 🏢
    • MP Pets 🐶🐱
    • Charleston Independent School Directory 🏫
    • MP Senior Living 👴👵
    • More Mags
      • IOP Mag
      • SI Mag
      • MP Town Hall Magazine
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Attorney Directory
    • 2025 Charleston Wedding Venues
    • Pool Builders/Services Directory
    • Financial Planners
    • Mount Pleasant Area Hotel Directory
    • East Cooper Worship Guide
    • East Cooper Fitness Directory
    • Senior Living Directory
    • 2023 Local CPA Tax Directory
    • Mount Pleasant Apartment Directory
  • SUBSCRIBE

Mount Pleasant Magazine

Mount Pleasant Magazine is the premier lifestyle magazine for Mount Pleasant, SC. Read about local news, events, businesses, people, and more. Subscribe today or read our digital magazine online.

  • Best of Mount Pleasant
    • 2025 Best of Mount Pleasant Including Previous Years
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Winner Articles
    • Best Of Party Photos
  • Podcasts
    • Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Carolina Real Estate Podcast
    • Georgetown the Podcast
    • Coastal Home Podcast Video Tour
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Hammock Coast Podcast
    • More Podcasts
      • Charleston Women Podcast
      • Isle of Palms Podcast
      • Charleston Pet Podcast
      • Charleston Wedding Podcast
  • Top Ten Homes Sold
  • Advertise
    • Advertise With Us
    • Media Kit
    • Video Testimonials
  • About Our Team
  • MORE
    • Real Estate Experts
    • MP Town Hall
    • Attorney Directory
    • News
    • MP Neighborhoods
    • East Cooper Online Network
    • Contact

Nothing to Sneeze At: Seasonal Allergies

Posted by MPM Leave a Comment

allergy_triggers_women_sneezing_in_flowering_meadow_s1

It starts on the first beautiful day every spring. Your car is covered with a fine layer of sticky yellow dust. Your eyes begin to water, your throat itches, your head aches and you can’t stop sneezing. It is allergy season. Let the suffering begin. It is the price we pay for the lovely flowers that bloom in the Lowcountry, people say. It’s not just the flowers. Our favorite shade trees are among the biggest culprits.

The truth is that the allergens are here almost year-round. There are just more of them in play during spring and fall. In the spring, most of the yellow stuff is caused by a variety of trees as they start their growing season. They include oaks – there are many varieties and they are copious pollen shedders – and pecan trees, which are ubiquitous here. A collection of weeds, such as ragweed, plus certain grasses, make up the spring mix. That nasty ragweed is also very active in the fall when weeds and grasses re-seed for next year. The mix of pollen producers changes with the seasons.

The allergens settle down somewhat in the summer, only to come back full force during the fall months as grasses and weeds (yes, ragweed again!) flare up. When you inhale those allergens, your immune system mistakes the pollen for an enemy and gears up for battle by creating histamines. Those histamines make you feel miserable, bringing on nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing and fatigue. Your eyes, nose and throat itch. Your sinuses are inflamed so your face literally hurts. Those red watery eyes are not your best look.

For the 50 million seasonal allergy sufferers in the United States, it is practically impossible to avoid the pollen. It is not only on the car, it is in the car. It is tracked into your house by your pets and by you, your friends and your family members.

How do you cope? Simple solutions include showering after you’ve been outside to wash that stuff off your body and out of your hair. Neti pots are used by many people to wash irritants from the nasal passages. Your local drug stores also sell masks to control how much pollen you inhale, but most sufferers muddle through without this pseudo-fashion accessory.

If you need medicine, antihistamines help control the symptoms; over-the-counter brands include Zyrtec, Claritin and Benadryl. Decongestants might ease the congestion, but they can raise your blood pressure, so they must be taken with care. Nasal sprays also are useful but should be used short-term only. Serious sufferers may be forced to seek medical help to reduce the symptoms and avoid further complications such as sinusitis or even asthma.

Allergies can occur in childhood or may pop up in middle age; some people are lifelong sufferers. A few people outgrow allergies, but, for the most part, there is no cure.

Food allergies are a different classification, but you might be surprised to learn to that they can have a cross-reaction with seasonal allergens. For example, ragweed is related to foods such as chamomile, melons, zucchini, bananas and celery, so enjoying these during times of peak pollen counts can make you feel even worse. You may not have a true food allergy, but the combination of airborne pollen and cantaloupe can make it seem so.

Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to track the pollen counts daily, and one of the easiest solutions is to stay inside and keep the windows closed. Good information about the amount of pollen day by day in your area can be found at www.Pollen.com.

In the Lowcountry, pollen sticks around until winter, perhaps the only advantage of cold weather. So until the weather changes, I’ll see you in the allergy aisle at the pharmacy – right after I have my car cleaned inside and out to get rid of that pesky yellow stuff.

By Barbara Millen Patrick

 

 

Sharing is Caring

Possibly Related:

Brooke Jackson Kahn in civvies.War at Home Female Veteran Honored for Combating PTSD USS Yorktown eerily lit at night.Falling for Autumn: A Few of Fall’s Favorite Things…

Filed Under: Health & Wellness

Advertisement

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search The Site

We're on Facebook We're on X (formerly Twitter) Mount Pleasant Magazine Youtube Channel We're on Pinterest Mount Pleasant Magazine Facebook Community We're on Instagram
Ad: South Carolina Federal Credit Union, enjoy life banking on the best.
Ad: Visit Woof Gang today!
Mount Pleasant Magazine Sep/Oct 2023 magazine coverREAD DIGITALLY
Read the digital magazine
now.
GRAB A COPY
Where can I pick up a copy of Mount Pleasant Magazine?
SUBSCRIBE
Get Mount Pleasant Magazine Delivered.
Ad: Premier Health and Wellness in Mount Pleasant, SC. Let’s Redesign Your Health & Wellness.
Read about the History of the Bridge Run
Visit Palmetto Christian Academy.org
Ad: 1st Choice AC, Heating, Plumbing and Gas, for the best AC Service for your home in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Pleasant Family Dentistry in Mount Pleasant, SC. Experience the BEST, and find out why we've been awarded 7 times in the BEST of MOUNT PLEASANT!
Ad: Visit Front Beach IOP and SHOP, DINE and DRINK in the SUNSHINE.
Ad: Get Carried Away - Real Food, Real Southern, Really Good!
Click for Stores & Services
on Coleman Boulevard
Coleman Blvd Merchant Alliance
Best of Mount Pleasant logo is a registered trademark
Ad: Every Day is a Good Dog Day at Michael's Barkery

Most Recent Posts

Georgetown, SC Rising: A Look at the City’s Dramatic Growth & Downtown Revival

Join host Scott Richards and Main Street Director Al Joseph for an insightful look into the remarkable transformation sweeping across Georgetown, SC. This video dives deep into the revitalization of … Continue Reading

The Rotary’s Biggest Splash: 2025 Charleston Duck Race in the Wando!

The Charleston Duck Race is back on the Wando River! Tune in as Evan Murray, the 'Head Duck' Fundraising Chair, joins host Brian Cleary to reveal all the details about this highly anticipated … Continue Reading

Paved with Passion: Morales Pavers

Morales Pavers started with a simple mission: to transform outdoor spaces and convert them into something people could truly enjoy. But what makes this family-owned business stand out isn’t just the … Continue Reading

Front Street Georgetown

Opening Batch: Georgetown Crafts First Brewery

A craft beer fan and teacher from Cincinnati, Chase Runyan started brewing in his house by tinkering with kits and learning how to bottle the beer after fermentation. After making five or six batches … Continue Reading

Revolutionized: Georgetown’s Downtown Makeover

When the port city of Georgetown was laid out in 1729, merchant-oriented businesses and homes lined the land side of Front Street, originally called Bay Street, overlooking the sparkling Sampit River, … Continue Reading

Gold Standard: Georgetown’s Own Crowned Olympic Champion

When 23-year-old Nike athlete and Georgetown native Melissa Jefferson arrived at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, she was determined to secure her … Continue Reading

More Front Street Georgetown

SEARCH

Get Our Free Newsletter!
Mount Pleasant Apartments
Pleasant Family Dentistry
Water's Edge Dentistry
34 Waterway Island Drive

Copyright © 2025 · Mount Pleasant Magazine, All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy

▲