As seasons change, temperatures rise and flowers begin to bloom, many find themselves battling more than just spring fever, the feeling of excitement, restlessness or extra energy that individuals may get when spring arrives. From sneezing and itchy eyes to congestion and fatigue, allergies can make this time of year feel like a struggle instead of a fresh start.
While allergies can often be associated with seasonal sniffles and pollen-filled air, these reactions can be triggered by a wide range of substances—from certain foods and medications to insect stings, pet dander and even materials such as latex. And, misconceptions of allergy relief options are as widespread as the allergens themselves.
To debunk seven common myths, The Daily spoke with Joao Pedro Lopes, assistant professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and medical allergy and immunology specialist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.
Whether you’re looking for allergy remedies or are simply interested in more information on this subject, read on to hear Lopes’ insights.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Myth 1: At-home or commercial food sensitivity tests can diagnose food allergies or intolerances.
Lopes: This is not validated testing; though, you will find several commercial options claiming it is or that testing for food allergies will help with food intolerance symptoms. There has been a large amount of new treatments coming around such as a biologic injection called omalizumab, which is approved to protect against accidental ingestion of food allergens. We have also refined techniques to try to treat food allergy in the youngest set of patients by treatment protocols known as oral immunotherapy (OIT), which have the goal to desensitize a young child, so that we can switch the way the immune system perceives the allergen from allergy to tolerance.
Myth 2: If an individual hasn’t reacted to pollen before, they never will.
Lopes: Environmental allergies can develop at any point in your life, so you may start reacting to pollens you didn’t react to previously. Overall, spring is associated with tree pollens, summer with grass pollens, and fall with weed and ragweed pollens, though there are overlaps between the seasons and these are not as well defined in terms of seasons as they used to be. Pollen counts have close correlation with symptoms for specific allergies, so it’s very helpful to know the pollen counts for the day in your area and know what you’re allergic to so you can prepare for that. Multiple apps (such as My Pollen Forecast and Pollen Buddy) allow you to have that information for free or at a low cost.
Myth 3: Once you have an allergy, you’ll have it for life.
Lopes: This depends a lot on the specific allergies. For example, there are allergies to foods like milk and eggs that have a good chance of being outgrown. Others such as peanuts and tree nuts are not as likely, at least without medical interventions. Environmental allergies are more rare to outgrow and tend to persist, though sometimes people learn to manage the symptoms and feel like they are better controlled. Keep in mind their severity has considerable variation.
Myth 4: You should only take allergy medicine when symptoms start.
Lopes: In some cases, this might be true, but in many others, it’s better to take allergy medication before symptoms start to help prevent them and reduce their impact. For environmental allergies, treatment options that can be combined include avoidance and mitigation of the allergens, oral antihistamines, nasal and eye topical medications and more definitive therapies like allergy immunotherapy (or allergy shots).
Myth 5: Natural remedies like local honey can cure seasonal allergies.
Lopes: There is a lot of internet data suggesting that, but the true scientific data is inconclusive and studies have shown mixed results regarding its value. I would caution that raw honey should be avoided in infants under one year of age as that has an increased risk of botulism, a rare, dangerous illness caused by a toxin from bacteria that can lead to muscle paralysis and requires emergency treatment. There is also data that trace amounts of pollen in some honey may actually worsen the symptoms for some individuals with seasonal allergies.
Myth 6: Some dog breeds are hypoallergenic and safe for people with dog allergies.
Lopes: This is mostly a myth. We are allergic to the skin dander, saliva and urine of dogs. What is frequently passed along as “hypoallergenic” is the concept that a dog sheds less and may reduce the amount of dead skin cells to be exposed to. But, unless you find a dog without skin there is no such a thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog if you’re allergic.
Myth 7: Allergy shots are dangerous and outdated.
Lopes: They are actually very safe and not outdated at all, as long as they’re done under the supervision of a board-certified allergy and immunology doctor and all safety factors are in place. Patients with asthma should be well controlled as poorly controlled asthma and human error are amongst the principal reasons for rare, severe side effect cases noted with allergy shots. For pollen and pet allergies, allergy shots are actually among the most effective treatments available in all areas of medicine and a large majority of patients feel very satisfied about the results.