Patient Resources for Fall and Beyond

As we head into the holiday season, we wanted to highlight some of our patient resources. Our staff and leadership have contributed to this archive over the years, and you may find these articles useful in answering patient questions. We have included a brief introduction to some relevant seasonal tips, along with the link to our full Patient Resources archive.

Runny nose, sneezing and cough – Is it a cold or allergies? (https://www.aaoallergy.org/runny-nose-sneezing-and-cough-is-it-a-cold-or-allergies/)

While patients with a cold and allergies generally have the same symptoms (runny nose, nasal drainage, congestion and cough), they are different diseases.

A cold is caused by a virus that affects the upper respiratory tract (primarily the nose). This leads to symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, and sneezing. Patients with a cold are more likely to have general aches/pain and low-grade fever than patients with allergies.  Nasal drainage is usually thick and yellow/green.

On the other hand, allergies are caused by an abnormal immune response in the body to an environmental substance. The substance can be inhaled, ingested or come into contact with the skin. The body is too hypersensitive to these substances which include such substances as pollen, dust, medications, bee sting and peanuts.

Follow this link to see the full article, along with a table of cold vs. allergy symptoms.

(https://www.aaoallergy.org/runny-nose-sneezing-and-cough-is-it-a-cold-or-allergies/) 

Off to College: Tips for Managing Allergies in a New Environment

(https://www.aaoallergy.org/off-to-college-tips-for-managing-allergies-in-a-new-environment/)

Heading to college is an exciting time. Many new opportunities and experiences await, but suffering from your allergies should not be one of them. What are the best ways for students to avoid exacerbation of their symptoms as they enter the hallowed halls of higher learning? It is important to remember to take your allergy and asthma medications on a regular schedule.  Skipping your medications or an erratic dosing schedule can lead to trouble. This also applies to your shots or drops if you are receiving SCIT or SLIT. Extended breaks for holidays can be a good time to make appointments with your doctor to get back on track.

Follow this link to read more on managing allergies in a new environment.

(https://www.aaoallergy.org/off-to-college-tips-for-managing-allergies-in-a-new-environment/)

Cross-Reacting Foods, Oral Allergy Syndrome, or “Why Do Bananas Make My Throat Itch in the Fall?”
(https://www.aaoallergy.org/cross-reacting-foods-oral-allergy-syndrome-or-why-do-bananas-make-my-throat-itch-in-the-fall/)

Many people with seasonal allergies know they are sensitive to pollens that increase and decrease in prevalence at different times of the year depending on the climate where they live.  Sometimes called “Hay Fever”; people may react to one or more tree pollens, weed pollens, or grass pollens and develop the classic allergy symptoms.

Some have also noticed a strange phenomenon where eating certain foods seems to trigger throat symptoms such as tickling or tightness in the throat or throat clearing and cough.  Or they may note even more typical inhalant allergy symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, and post-nasal drainage.  This may lead to the belief that they are “allergic” to those foods.  Does this happen to you?  Have you observed any trends in these symptoms?  Do these reactions happen every time you eat the food or is it more likely these reactions don’t necessarily happen all the time?  Do they seem to correlate to times when seasonal allergy symptoms are more prevalent?

What’s going on here is a quirk of our immune system called co-allergy or cross-reactivity.  The response has lots of names: “Oral Allergy Syndrome,” “Pollen-Food Allergy,” “Concomitant Allergy,” and “Pollen-Associated Food Allergy Syndrome” to name a few.

Follow this link to read the full explanation of how cross-reactivity can affect patients.

(https://www.aaoallergy.org/cross-reacting-foods-oral-allergy-syndrome-or-why-do-bananas-make-my-throat-itch-in-the-fall/)

The Twelve Days of Allergies: Why We Sneeze at Christmas, Even Though the Pollen Counts Are Low

(https://www.aaoallergy.org/the-twelve-days-of-allergies/)

Many people are surprised to find their allergy symptoms flaring in December, even though outdoor pollen counts are low. The holidays bring a number of indoor and environmental triggers that can cause significant symptoms despite the absence of seasonal pollen. 

Follow this link for a humorous Yuletide take on why patients may be suffering at this time of year. (https://www.aaoallergy.org/the-twelve-days-of-allergies/) 

Patient Resource Archive