‘People are suffering’

Trish Honeywell talks about her allergies during a recent visit to Pacific Coast Allergy: “Why have it and not do anything about it?” The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

“Actually, it didn’t become bad until I moved to Crescent City,” she said. “It wasn’t severe. I just lived with it.”

It was almost a decade ago, when Honeywell developed bronchitis and couldn’t stay outside while gardening, that she knew it was time to do something about her allergies.

“I want to do what I like to, and I like to be out in my yard,” said Honeywell, who is also a foster grandparent for kindergartners at Mary Peacock Elementary.

After seeing a pulmonologist and then Dr. Christoph­er Chang, an allergist at Pacific Coast Allergy on Railroad Avenue, Honey­well, 65, learned she had a mild case of asthma caused by allergies.

Various types of pollen grains are shown here in an electron microscopic image. Pollen is a one of the largest offenders when it comes to allergy sufferers in Del Norte. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

“It’s pretty constant year-round,” Honeywell said.

She’s allergic to grasses, weeds, trees and dust, and in the winter “my nose doesn’t like the mold,” she said, explaining that “it’s the dampness.”

The good news is, she’s not allergic to animals or food.

To combat her allergies, Honey­well uses a nasal spray and has an everyday and rescue inhaler. She also gets two allergy shots each week, which she might have to do for several more years.

Peak times of year

During the spring, Trish Honey­well’s allergies get really bad from  pollen in the air. But her allergies never really go away; they’re there all year, which is the case for a lot of people.

Fall allergies can be downplayed here in Del Norte County, Dr. Christopher Chang said. This area doesn’t have a strong fall ragweed season like some other parts of the country do, because the foliage is different, he explained.

But that doesn’t mean locals aren’t suffering from itchy, running eyes, stuffed up noses and wheezing right now, partly due to weed pollen, but also dust and mold.

“A lot of people are suffering,” Chang said.

Some have allergies that pop up in the spring and fall. However, many people have symptoms caused by indoor allergens year-round, Chang said, symptoms that get worse during pollen peaks in the spring and fall.

“They (allergies) are there all year, but there are peaks,” he explained.

It’s in the air

Common outdoor allergens are grass, weed and tree pollen, Chang explained. Grass pollen is in the air during the spring. Then, from June to October, there’s a high amount of weed pollen in the air. Pollen from trees can be around all year.

Chang counts pollen and spores in Del Norte and posts them online at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Web site www.aaaai.org. This lets allergy sufferers know whether there is a low to high concentration of allergens in the air.

Indoor allergens can be found in the home year-round Chang said.

“In the winter months, it could be dust mites or it could be mold,” he said.

Unlike outdoor allergens like pollen, which are hard to avoid, allergy sufferers can combat indoor allergens with a few preventative measures.

Keeping a clean house

Mold originates outside — rain releases the spores into the atmosphere, Chang explained. However, it can be a problem inside without good ventilation.

To prevent mold spread in your house, keep it well ventilated, plug up leaks and clean up any sitting water, he said.

Dust mites can seemingly be everywhere. They feed on moisture and dead human skin, Chang explained, and can be living in the carpet (wood flooring is better) or in the fabric of pillows and mattresses. That’s why some people’s allergies act up at night, he said.

Chang suggests putting protective pillow and mattress coverings on the bed, washing bedsheets every two weeks and using HEPA air filters. Vacuuming is actually not that effective at getting rid of dust mites, he said, it stirs them up in the air.

Getting some relief

The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

To check for allergies, an allergist will typically do a skin test, where the skin is pricked with individual allergens. Then the doctor will figure out the best plan of action to prevent allergic reactions.

Chang said that reactions depend on the person, and what works for one person might not for another.

Allergists tend to preach avoidance, he said. For example, if you’re allergic to dogs, not having one would prevent a reaction.

“The only way not to have a reaction is not to be exposed to it,” Chang said.

But that can be difficult, so there are medications, such as antihistamines and topical steroids, such as nasal sprays, and inhalers.

Allergy shots can make an allergy sufferer more tolerant to allergens. Allergens are injected into the body in controlled, increasing doses, “so the body gets used to it, Chang said.

“It’s a way to change the immune system,” Chang said, adding, “it’s not a cure.”

Alternatives to traditional medicine

Jody Mangum, a licensed acupuncturist at the Wellness Center in Smith River, practices Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique or NAET on those suffering from allergies.

The technique involves acupuncture and acupressure along the central nervous system. Traditional acupuncture focuses on the immune system and can also be used to treat allergies.

“It’s used to open the energy flow,” Magnum said.

Acupuncture gets to the underlying cause of the problem, she explained. By balancing out the energy in the body, symptoms can be relieved or even eliminated.

To determine what a person is allergic to, Mangum uses a muscle response test to see if a particular allergen weakens the body.

Mangum also uses Computerized Electro Dermal Screening  or CEDS to see how the body reacts to a particular allergen. This measures energy levels and determines if there is an imbalance  in the body, she explained.

“If the (energy level) is low it’s chronic, if it’s too high it’s acute,” she said.

Besides acupuncture and supplements specifically designed for the person, avoiding what causes a reaction is helpful, Mangum said. But lifestyle changes can also help: getting enough sleep, exercising and eating right, she explained.

“Go to the foundation,” Magnum said, “then everything is going to get better.”

Why only some have allergies

The genetic predisposition to develop allergies is hereditary, Chang said, but what a person is allergic to depends on what he or she is exposed to, mostly at a young age.

He added that a lot of research still needs to be done about allergies and what causes them.

“We don’t understand everything about it,” he said.

The gist is that allergies are the immune system’s abnormal reaction to something. To protect the body, certain white blood cells will produce antibodies that then release histamines and other chemicals into the nose, throat, skin and other parts of the body causing the unpleasant symptoms.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” Chang said about pinpointing the exact cause of allergies and how best to relieve symptoms.

“There is a lot more we need to know,” he continued. “It’s an exciting area of research.”