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Allergies attack

Sneezy season is nigh; juniper bush main culprit
With spring comes the onset of allergy season, and that’s enough to bring some people to tears.

If you’re not already crying, prepare to weep: Allergy season is upon Durango.

Thursday, the evidence was everywhere. Outside Starbucks, an elderly man put down his cappuccino to rub his watery eyes, though the area around his eye sockets already looked red from rubbing.

Later, at 11th Street and Main Avenue, one woman waiting for the walk signal became so overcome by sneezes, she reached into her purse and administered herself several dosages of nasal spray while standing on the sidewalk.

Such desperation is to be expected, said Dr. Greg Schackel of Southwestern Colorado Ear, Nose & Throat Associates.

“It’s not full-blown yet, but we’re definitely seeing the outliers – the canaries in the mine shaft, who are really sensitive,” he said. “Usually in this area, we tend to see allergies in the first week of April. But now, thanks to all the warm weather we’ve had, this year, it’s definitely early March.”

Dr. Donald Cooke, of Allergy and Asthma Specialists, said in fact, allergy season began in February.

“Usually, we see it in March. But this year, it started up in mid-February because of that warm dry spell, before we had that late February snowfall,” Cooke said.

Caleb Gates, a licensed acupuncturist with Advanced Allergy Relief Center of the Southwest, said clients are streaming in with allergies.

“Oh, it’s absolutely allergy season. I see 40 people a week, and this time of year, 75 percent of my clients come in for allergies.”

Locally, the major culprit is “pretty much all juniper, juniper,” Schackel said.

“But it’s the juniper bush, not the pretty juniper you find in people’s yards. Those flowers don’t really cause allergies.”

Cooke said people felled by juniper shared symptoms.

“You know, classic hayfever is the most common thing we see: throat itchy, eyes itching, sneezing all the time, watery nose. Coughing and sneezing all the time can also trigger asthma in people who have extreme asthma, causing lower respiratory symptoms,” he said.

Schackel said juniper allergies tend to be “really bothersome on the eyes – itchy, scratchy, burning, watery, plus there’s the typical nasal congestion – runny noses – and some people even get fatigue from juniper or fall ill.”

Unlike flu, you can take few precautions against allergies.

“I guess you can stop breathing?” Schackel joked. He said facemasks, like the kind worn by commuters on Tokyo’s subway, aren’t a worthwhile option.

“In terms of prevention, I don’t think facemasks would play much of a role. But you should keep the windows closed when you’re driving.”

Effective anti-allergy tactics in the bedroom include keeping the windows closed and using a HEPA filter.

“That will at least help purify the air you’re breathing while you’re asleep and keep the pollen at bay during the night,” Schackel said.

He also recommended rinsing your noise daily with saline solution. He said the sensation is not as unpleasant as getting water up your nose in the pool.

“It’s salt water, so it’s much more gentle on your nose than the harsh dry water you get from the tap or water with lots of chlorine in it,” Schackel said.

The final defense strategy is medication, he said.

“This is the first full season that we’ve had a nasal steroid sold over the counter; it used to be prescription. That’s a big convenience for folks, and cheaper.

“The thing is, you have to remember to take it a week ahead of time. But people don’t think ahead. They start taking it when they’re in the throes of their allergies,” Schackel said.

Indeed, doctors seem to agree that the slew of powerful nondrowsy antihistamines now being sold over-the-counter almost is as a big a development for those suffering allergies as the invention of the tissue.

Cooke said people in dire allergic straights now could turn to their pharmacies, where, “there are a number of things that have started being sold over-the-counter really recently, like almost all of the non-sedating antihistamines, like Claritin, etc ... and nasal steroids.”

Gates said acupuncture can help relieve horrific allergy symptoms in the short term and reduce reaction in the long term – without medication.

“It’s an alternative approach, where I use gentle acupressure while the client is exposed to what they’re allergic to. Over a series of treatments, 80 percent of people respond overwhelmingly to the treatment,” he said.

Schackel said there only was one foolproof allergy solution available to Durangoans in these awful, allergic times:

“April is a terrible month in our community. That’s just the way it is. So if you can, get out of town! Go to Hawaii!”

cmcallister@durangoherald.com



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