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43 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Luzerne County on Monday

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House committee unanimously passes Boback bill

My wife Mary and I enjoyed getting to visit with our daughter Kate, her husband Andrew and our amazing granddaughters Rowan and Eve over the Easter weekend a few weeks ago.
				During one of our &ldquo;nature walks&rdquo; through their neighborhood in one of Chicago&rsquo;s northern suburbs, the girls wanted to show me their &ldquo;fairy castle.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s actually a space about the size of a cube 4 feet on an edge, under the lowest branches of some type of flowering bush.
				When they crawled under it to show me, thus shaking a few of the branches, the cloud of pollen they stirred up was HUGE. It didn&rsquo;t bother them or me but sure made me acknowledge the challenge this season can be for allergy sufferers.
				There&rsquo;s been plenty to enjoy about being outdoors recently. With a few chilly exceptions, a generally mild early spring has offered opportunities to work and play in the yard or even get out to a local state park or campground to truly immerse ourselves in nature. But for some of us, getting outside can also bring itchy, watery eyes and stuffed or running noses, along with a slew of other unpleasant symptoms like cough, headaches and skin irritation.
				The next few weeks to months may be difficult for allergy sufferers, especially in our region. Last year, many stayed indoors during spring because of COVID-19 safety precautions, work from home protocols, and school closures. A welcome, if unexpected, result of that social distancing may have been less exposure to allergens and therefore milder or absent symptoms.
				This spring, as many return to outdoor activity, school and work, we may see worse allergy symptoms in our area. Northeastern Pennsylvania has an abundance of trees, and spring is pollen season for all of those oxygen-making beauties. Combine the pollen from the tree population with the pollen from all of the bushes and flowering plants that bloom during spring, and allergy sufferers have quite the irritant to deal with.
				But if we understand how these allergens inflame our systems, we can take steps to alleviate symptoms. Pollen are tiny particles that plants use to reproduce, and they get from plant to plant on insects, birds, small mammals, and in the wind. The air in our region can be dense with pollen during this season, and as we step into the natural environment, it can enter our eyes, mouths and nasal passages.
				Unfortunately, dry days tend to have higher pollen counts, while rainy days usually have lower pollen counts. For those who are hit hardest by allergy symptoms, it&rsquo;s a good idea to avoid going outside on days when pollen counts are high. For a more accurate depiction of your allergy risk, websites like weather.com and accuweather.com are great online resources for pollen count and allergy information.
				Generally, most plants pollinate between 5 and 10 a.m., so pollen counts can be highest in the morning. If you do spend time outside, pollen can stick to the hair, skin and clothes, so make a habit of washing your face and eyes and changing your clothes when you return inside. Better yet, take a shower after a stint outdoors on a high-pollen day. Keeping the doors and windows closed in your home can help keep it from accumulating too much pollen as well. If you have air conditioning, use it to cool your home in warmer months.
				And if you do experience bad allergy symptoms despite your best efforts, there are over-the-counter medications available that may alleviate them.
				Allergists recommend long-acting antihistamines, which stay in your system for up to 24 hours, for relief. Cetirizine(Zyrtec), loratadine (Claritin) and fexofenadine (Allegra) are all options that could help you and are available at your neighborhood drug store.
				 It&rsquo;s important to note that while some allergy symptoms are similar to COVID-19 symptoms, fever, chills, body aches, and extreme fatigue are usually indicative of COVID-19 and viral infections. So, take those symptoms seriously and assume you have COVID-19 to prevent spreading it to others. And get your COVID-19 vaccine as soon as an appointment becomes available. It take the guess work out of the equation.

To Your Health: Managing spring allergies