Allergy Relief

Autumn Allergies and School

Summer is coming to a close and days are getting shorter which means allergies and school are returning. As we take our children to the mall to buy new clothing for the school year we should also be sure our children are ready to combat their allergies at school. Learning new math, science, or history can be made more difficult if your child is suffering from fall allergies.

Autumn Challenges

Not only is autumn synonymous with a new school year, but it is also associated with fall allergy season. The crisp cool autumn air can bring us specific allergy triggers that can affect our children while they are in school. Autumn has an alias… hay fever season!! As webmd.com states, approximately 30 million Americans suffer from hay fever and their symptoms typically show up in autumn. From August through to October all the little nasty weeds are releasing their pollen and those who suffer from allergies take the brunt of it. Not only do these pollens spread the little menaces, but they cause those with allergies to release histamine which triggers the runny nose and itchy eyes. Curse those weeds!! Webmd.com identifies other symptoms caused by histamine release that include:

• Congestion
• Fatigue
• Postnasal Drip
• Asthma
• Itchy Nose and Throat
• Dark Circles under Eyes

Many varieties of plants and weeds release pollen in the autumn, but the biggest culprit is ragweed. One little ragweed plant can produce up to 1 billion grains of pollen. That’s a lot of sneezing and wheezing!! Since it is a hardy annual, it can be found just about anywhere; empty lots, on roadsides, and even in your neighbor’s overgrown yard. And since pollen can travel long distances you don’t need to be even near it to be affected by it.

Seek Permission

Our children can be susceptible to these fall allergens. A little bit of a problem arises when it comes time to treat these allergy symptoms and our children are in school. Some schools may not allow a child to carry any form of medication with them. Children who need emergency inhalers or spacers for aerosol medicine may need to leave them with the school nurse. The school I send my child to requires the nurse to be in possession of any medication. If your child requires a nebulizer to disperse any breathing medication a trip to the nurse’s office may be necessary. Parents should make sure that if there is a consent form required that they sign it and get it back to the school ASAP. Parents can even help their children train their respiratory muscles at home with inspiratory muscle trainers so that muscles that are involved with breathing can be made stronger, therefore hopefully not being dependent as much on rescue inhalers and nebulizers. You may need a signed letter from your pediatrician or allergist, so plan ahead so that your child doesn’t go to school unprotected. Have your child ready for allergy season so that they can commit 100% of their attention to their teachers and class work!!

 

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