What Triggers Your Fall Allergies?
What Triggers Your Fall Allergies?
Other autumn plants also cause hay fever, like cocklebur, tumbleweed, and pigweed. But more than individual plants, Corn says people with fall allergies should be careful in places where pollen can settle -- which is pretty much anywhere outside. Be especially wary of traditional outdoor fall activities like hayrides and corn mazes.
Piles of fallen leaves can also cause problems. Whether you’re the one raking them together or the one taking a running leap into the heap, you’re stirring pollen and mold into the air. One way to protect yourself while raking the yard, mowing grass, or working in the garden is to wear a dust mask.
Also, Corn says that if you know you’re going to be outside, make sure you bring your medications. “Know what your symptoms are so you can be proactive.”
Another autumn activity that Dumitriu had to cross off her weekend list was going to apple-picking farms. “Apples are a big problem for me,” she says. “When I eat them, my mouth itches and my lips swell. Used to, if I really craved one, I’d just eat it anyway. But now the symptoms are too severe.”
Fall harvest can be a tough time for people with food allergies. Dumitriu says she also has reactions to pears, apricots, and cherries. Corn adds that people who live with ragweed and other pollen allergies often have reactions to bananas, melons, or vegetables like cucumbers and zucchini. This is because the food and pollen share similar proteins. “It’s called oral allergy syndrome,” Corn says. “These people can’t eat those things raw. But if they cook the foods, they usually become tolerable.”
Halloween can also be a scary time. Your costumed kids come home with a mixed bag full of potential food-allergy triggers. Candy with peanuts or tree nuts. Cookies or baked goods made with milk and eggs. But the researchers at Food Allergy Research and Education have some tips to remove the trick and leave the treat:
How to Dodge Your Fall Allergies
The Not-So-Great Outdoors
Other autumn plants also cause hay fever, like cocklebur, tumbleweed, and pigweed. But more than individual plants, Corn says people with fall allergies should be careful in places where pollen can settle -- which is pretty much anywhere outside. Be especially wary of traditional outdoor fall activities like hayrides and corn mazes.
Piles of fallen leaves can also cause problems. Whether you’re the one raking them together or the one taking a running leap into the heap, you’re stirring pollen and mold into the air. One way to protect yourself while raking the yard, mowing grass, or working in the garden is to wear a dust mask.
Also, Corn says that if you know you’re going to be outside, make sure you bring your medications. “Know what your symptoms are so you can be proactive.”
Food Fight
Another autumn activity that Dumitriu had to cross off her weekend list was going to apple-picking farms. “Apples are a big problem for me,” she says. “When I eat them, my mouth itches and my lips swell. Used to, if I really craved one, I’d just eat it anyway. But now the symptoms are too severe.”
Fall harvest can be a tough time for people with food allergies. Dumitriu says she also has reactions to pears, apricots, and cherries. Corn adds that people who live with ragweed and other pollen allergies often have reactions to bananas, melons, or vegetables like cucumbers and zucchini. This is because the food and pollen share similar proteins. “It’s called oral allergy syndrome,” Corn says. “These people can’t eat those things raw. But if they cook the foods, they usually become tolerable.”
Trick or Treat -- or Trigger
Halloween can also be a scary time. Your costumed kids come home with a mixed bag full of potential food-allergy triggers. Candy with peanuts or tree nuts. Cookies or baked goods made with milk and eggs. But the researchers at Food Allergy Research and Education have some tips to remove the trick and leave the treat:
- Stick to individually wrapped candy to reduce risk of cross-contamination.
- Make “goody bags” of safe treats for your neighbors to hand out to your child.
- Avoid candy that doesn’t have an ingredient label.
- Don’t let your child eat while trick or treating. Give yourself time to read the label.
- Make sure you bring along your child’s epinephrine injector.
- Buy safe treats or toys that you can trade your child for unsafe or questionable candy.
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