Fall Allergies In Phoenix Area

We are just in the swing of fall, and it is time for allergies to start kicking in again! While allergies are mostly associated with the turn of the seasons from winter into spring, the fact is that allergies can appear at any point within the calendar year.

Sneezing is one of the main symptoms of allergies. Arizona’s desert weeds are one of the biggest contributors to your allergy symptoms during the autumn. More specifically, Ragweeds. These weeds with the yellow flowers bloom in mid-August and reach their peak mid to late September and can last well into when the frost sets.

Other symptoms and allergic reactions include:

• Nasal congestion
• Itchy eyes
• Runny nose
• Scratchy throat
• Coughing
• Fatigue
• Headache

As monsoon season continues into the beginning of autumn, it can help amplify your allergies. The high winds that come along with monsoons make the pollutants from Ragweeds, as well as other allergens, blow all over and around. Scientists have found ragweed pollutants blown up to 2 miles into the atmosphere and 400 miles out into the sea. In short, you could feel the effects of Ragweed even if you don’t have any near your home.

Ragweed is one of the most contributing factors to allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Hay fever is when your allergies are intensified and can feel more like a cold. The difference between hay fever and cold is how long it lasts as well as if you have a fever or not. Despite fever being in its name, fever is not one of the symptoms of hay fever.

COVID-19 Versus Seasonal Allergies

While COVID-19 is still spreading, it can be difficult to tell the difference between if you have allergies or COVID-19. They share a lot of common symptoms in the body. While you can get a fever with some severe allergies, the biggest sign that you have allergies and not COVID-19 is sneezing or itchy, watery eyes. If you are sneezing or your eyes are swelling or tearing, you likely have allergies and not COVID-19.

Treating Your Fall Allergies

There are things you can do at home that will help ease your allergy symptoms, for example:

• Change your air filter regularly
• Close your windows and doors
• Wash your hands after being outside

Over the counter medications can help too. But if none of the above things are helping your allergy symptoms, there are alternative solutions. Here at BackFit Health + Spine, our allergy specialists can test for 50 allergens specific to Arizona and pinpoint the cause of your symptoms.

Once we receive the results, we will discuss with you if you are a good candidate for allergy shots or sublingual immunotherapy. You can read more about our allergy serums here.

If you have all of the symptoms listed above for more than a few months than you likely have a food allergy. If your results come back showing you have a food allergy over environmental allergies then we will work with you to help alter your diet to alleviate your symptoms.

To get started, contact BackFit today to make an appointment for allergy testing and treatment.