It’s sneezin’ season

This fall may be worse than average for allergies

Elizabeth Herrman usually wakes up this time of year with a congested head, runny nose and itchy eyes.

“It looks like I’ve been crying,” Herrman said while working at Brits on Mass. Street earlier this week. “It’s just my allergies.”

Herrman doesn’t let the allergies make her skip work or class, however.

“It’s an inconvenience,” she said. “And it’s annoying.”

About 20 percent of Americans are experiencing some degree of suffering during the fall season, experts say. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reported last month that “hay fever” causes Americans to miss 3.8 million days of school and work each year – and costs the country $3 billion in lost production and doctor’s visits.

“It certainly impacts your life significantly, because if you have a stuffy head, you can’t sleep well, can’t live well,” said Dr. Daniel Stechschulte, director of Allergy, Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology at University of Kansas Hospital.

This fall might be worse than recent years, he said. Ragweed pollen is the main contributor to fall allergies, and this year has seen prime conditions for the plant.

“We’ve had enough rain that the plants have proliferated … so the pollen count has increased,” Stechschulte said.

That means Lawrence pharmacies are doing steady business.

“This is usually when it starts,” said Katy Hooper, a pharmacist and pharmacy manager at the Hy-Vee on Sixth Street. “The allergies, actually, don’t seem as bad this year as compared to previous years. But they are just starting.”

Popular choices to deal with allergies are Sudafed products and Claritin, she said.

Over-the-counter medications like Claritin can relieve some suffering, Stechschulte said, but they don’t work for everybody. Some people with allergies must resort to sprays – nasal steroids – or allergy shots.

Herrman skips such medications.

“It’s kind of expensive to buy allergy medicine, and some of them you have to have a prescription,” she said.

But some people choose to use natural remedies.

“People seem to like elderberry juice to help deal with their allergies,” said Tyra Kalman, the manager of the Wellness Department at The Merc. “People also seem to like nettle. It’s a plant and it seems to trigger a natural antihistamine response in people. That one seems to be the most popular.”

If nothing seems to work, Stechschulte said there’s always the possibility of staying inside during the middle of the day, when pollen counts are at their highest.

It’s difficult to say what the best treatment for allergies might be.

“It varies from person to person,” Stechschulte said. “Everybody responds slightly different.”