Source of allergies
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If you find yourself sniffling and sneezing a lot these days, you're not alone.
We're getting into the tail end of the fall allergy season, and doctors say the ragweed and mold are particularly bad this year.
But doctors also warn that your sniffles could be the results of something else, and if you don't get it checked out, you might be suffering for a long time.
32-year-old Lorelle Langhorne has been suffering from headaches for the last year ever since she moved to a new city. They were soon followed by constant congestion, runny nose and sneezing.
"I started taking multi-vitamins and all this stuff just to be healthier overall and it wasn't really having a huge effect," Langhorne said.
That's because she was suffering from allergies.
"I was a little surprised. I seemed like I would have been told earlier or had major symptoms or something at an earlier age," she said.
But doctors say developing allergies as you age isn't that unusual especially when you move to a new city.
"They're moving into a city that has a certain topography. They're moving into a city where the pollen counts may be higher than the other locations or the ragweed count may be higher," said Dr. Ann Marie Gordon, an Internist.
Dr. Gordon says age plays a role too. That's because as you get older, your immune system changes and some people may react to allergens that never bothered them before, or they may react more severely to what was once a mild allergy.
But just because you're having allergy symptoms doesn't mean your allergic. Dr. Gordon says it could be something called an irritant reaction, a condition that will often have similar symptoms to an allergy but is caused by something else.
"It's more of an irritation but via a different mechanism. So why is that important? The treatment," Dr. Gordon said.
Allergy medications won't work for an irritant reaction, leaving a lot of people suffering. Dr. Gordon says that's why it's important to see your doctor if you're exhibiting any type of allergy or respiratory symptoms that won't go away on their own or get worse over time.
As for Lorelle Langhorne, she's now on medication to control her allergies, so now she can enjoy the sunshine on a gorgeous fall day.
"I feel a little better and I can breathe a little better," Langhorne said.
Dr. Gordon stresses that people should not take allergy symptoms for granted and they should always see their doctor to figure out the best treatment.
Do you suffer from allergies? Do they seem worse this year? Do you take medication? What treatment seems to work for you? Leave your thoughts below.
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