{"id":1976,"date":"2024-04-18T16:37:07","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T16:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/?p=1976"},"modified":"2024-04-18T16:37:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T16:37:11","slug":"earth-day-connections-how-the-environment-affects-allergies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/earth-day-connections-how-the-environment-affects-allergies\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth Day Connections: How the Environment Affects Allergies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>From seasonal sniffles to year-round discomfort, allergic reactions can significantly impact our quality of life. Earth Day, falling on April 22<sup>nd<\/sup>, is the perfect time to consider the environment&#8217;s role in triggering these pesky allergies and how you can improve your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding Allergies<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"813\" height=\"429\" src=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Man-sneezing-in-the-park-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1979\" style=\"width:383px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Man-sneezing-in-the-park-.jpg 813w, https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Man-sneezing-in-the-park--350x185.jpg 350w, https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Man-sneezing-in-the-park--768x405.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 813px) 100vw, 813px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Allergies arise when the <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/8610-allergies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">immune system overreacts to substances known as allergens<\/a>. Different types of allergies may cause different symptoms. A few common symptoms may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Sneezing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Itching and hive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Itchy or watery eyes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coughing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nausea and vomiting (most common with food allergies)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Constricted breathing and a sudden drop in blood pressure (anaphylaxis)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Environmental Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When allergens spin in the world around you, especially during high-allergy seasons like spring and summer, you may notice your allergies flaring up more than usual. Common environmental allergens include <a href=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/allergy\/types-of-allergies\/\">pollen, dust mites, pet dander and mold spores<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look at a few places you may find these common allergens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pollen<\/strong>. Pollen, the microscopic powder plants release during reproduction, is a notorious allergen. You will likely encounter pollen around nature preserves, indoor and outdoor plants and grassy places like Big Spring Park. &nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dust mites<\/strong>. Dust mites, tiny creatures thriving in household dust, are a significant trigger for indoor allergies. You will likely find dust mites in bedding, on hardwood flooring and carpeting, window blinds, bookshelves and anywhere else dust accumulates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pet dander<\/strong>. Pet dander is composed of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niehs.nih.gov\/health\/topics\/agents\/allergens\/pets#:~:text=Pet%20dander%2C%20the%20source%20of,the%20urine%20of%20male%20cats.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tiny proteins from flecks of skin on your pets<\/a>. You may find pet dander circulating in the air or sitting on the furniture in your home.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mold spores<\/strong>. Mold produces spores that float through the air and cause allergy symptoms. Mold commonly grows in warm, damp environments like bathrooms, kitchens and basements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Minimize Allergens?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Making an appointment with an allergy specialist is the first step in <a href=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/allergy\/allergy-treatments\/\">minimizing allergy symptoms<\/a>. Your specialist will likely perform an allergy skin prick or blood test and recommend treatment accordingly. Treatment options may include allergen avoidance, medication or immunotherapy (injecting increasing doses of an allergen to minimize sensitivity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding the environment&#8217;s role in your allergies is an excellent way to celebrate Earth Day this year. To learn more about managing your allergies, contact <span class=\"company-name \">North Alabama ENT Associates<\/span> today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/how-can-i-prepare-my-child-for-allergy-testing\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Can I Prepare My Child for Allergy Testing?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/can-allergies-impact-tinnitus\/\" class=\"related-post\">Can Allergies Impact Tinnitus?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/nalent.com\/causes-and-treatments-of-allergic-wheezing\/\" class=\"related-post\">Causes And Treatments of Allergic Wheezing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From seasonal sniffles to year-round discomfort, allergic reactions can significantly impact our quality of life. Earth Day, falling on April 22nd, is the perfect time to consider the environment&#8217;s role in triggering these pesky allergies and how you can improve your symptoms. Understanding Allergies Allergies arise when the immune system overreacts to substances known as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1976"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1981,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976\/revisions\/1981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nalent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}