Simple tips could make allergy season more bearable for sufferers

• Now the allergy department coordinator with Blue Ridge Ear, Nose, Throat and Plastic Surgery Inc., Fisher became interested in the field due to her own bouts with pollen, mold and dust allergies.
• According to the Foundation for Allergy Care and Treatment, approximately 45 million Americans suffer from some type of allergy.
• Neither Forest resident Sharon Lester nor her sons have been tested for allergies, but Lester blames pollen for her sons' problems with croup, an upper respiratory inflammation characterized by a barking cough.
• When Nathan begins to get allergy symptoms, Lester tries to treat it with over-the-counter medication before it gets worse.
• In Central Virginia, the allergy season usually begins in mid-to-late February when trees begin to pollinate, said Fisher.
• Mold is a common allergy, and mold spores proliferate in the damp.
• The immune system overreacts to the inhaled pollen or other substance, and releases the chemical histamine, which causes the sneezing, post-nasal drip and other symptoms commonly associated with allergies, she added.
• Making the diagnosis even more difficult, allergy sufferers may be more suspectible to colds and infections, as the increased mucus production creates a hospitable environment for bacteria and viruses.
• If mowing the lawn makes you wheeze, your parents may be to blame.
• A child has a 35- to 45-percent chance of developing allergies with one allergic parent, and almost definitely will develop allergies if both parents suffer from them.
• While people may want to air out their house after months of stale winter air, pollens can easily find their way in through screens, she explained.
• Pollens are at their peak in the early-morning hours, and mold spores drop to the ground in the evening when temperatures cool.
• Mold allergy sufferers may have problems with "moldderived foods" like yogurt, sour cream, wine, mushrooms or vinegar.