Featured image for “How Your Seasonal Allergies Can Change Throughout Your Life”

How Your Seasonal Allergies Can Change Throughout Your Life

September 4, 2020

Seasonal allergies are some of the most chronic and common ailments throughout the world.

While you might think of them as something children suffer from and grow out of, allergies can range from troublesome to chronic and develop well into adulthood. The most common allergy symptoms are itchy eyes, cough, and a runny nose.

 

Allergy Tolerances Change Over Time

It’s not unheard of for a college student to come home for the holidays and suddenly get watery eyes around the family cat. How well you handle or do not handle certain allergy triggers is your body’s tolerance, and it can change over time. Even if you’ve always enjoyed the springtime, you might suddenly reach a warm, May afternoon that makes your nose run.

Doctors don’t exactly know why, but some people seem to develop allergies later in life or may outgrow their allergies over time. This is likely because your immune system is constantly changing. Tolerances that can change over time include pet dander, foods, medications, insect venoms, and pollen.

 

How Do I Build Up My Tolerance? 

For some allergy sufferers, they can try every treatment under the sun but still be affected by seasonal allergies. Often, chronic allergy sufferers can do little to change how their body reacts to foods, environments, or products. Some research suggests that you can build up a tolerance over time.

Think of it as receiving an immunization shot. You introduce a little of the aggravator to help your body build up a defense. This might be through therapy in conjunction with your doctor’s orders, or through limited exposures you may not realize are happening over time. There is even research that points to the benefits of keeping a pet to help overcome allergies! Infants exposed to pet and pest allergies have shown reduced risks of asthma as they grow up.

 

 

Because of the COVID-19 epidemic this year, a new cough or runny nose might cause a bit more concern. If you feel like your allergies are changing or developing, talk to your doctor or see an allergist. For more health and safety tips, check out the Specialized Health and Safety blog.


Share: