[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.20.1″ src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/-oREO6-uABA” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n
As soon as the first dusting of yellow arrives in the spring, so does coughing, sneezing and itching. Seasonal allergies affect more than 50 million Americans each year, according to Hopkins Medicine, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAllergy is an autoimmune disorder where when you come in contact with various things, there\u2019s a reaction that occurs in your body. And this reaction results in a little cell bursting open and releasing histamine,\u201d said Dr. Andrea Williams, a doctor in West Columbia, who specializes in otolaryngology, the study of the disease of the ear, nose and throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During allergy season, which peaks from March to May in the Midlands, many turn to over-the-counter drugs, such as Zyrtec and Allegra, to help minimize symptoms. Williams says that those using these medications around the clock need to be seen by a physician so their symptoms don\u2019t turn into bigger health issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllergies can provoke other disorders or exacerbate them. So, for example, sinusitis – a lot of time the swelling from allergies results in obstruction of sinuses and can cause recurring infections,\u201d Williams said. \u201cAgain, the swelling in the ear can block the estuation tube and cause recurrent ear infections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lingering allergy symptoms lead to constant drainage causing, throat clearing, vocal cord nodules and itchy throat. According to Williams, controlling these symptoms controls other disorders.<\/p>\n
Allergy shots and immunotherapy can be used to treat allergies and patients who suffer from severe allergies receive allergy shots weekly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to sit down in grass and get hives, and after I got the allergy shots, I\u2019m pretty much fine,\u201d said Rachel Wood, a student at the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n
Wood, a senior from Chicago, got allergy shots\u00a0weekly for four years, and is currently training for a 10-K race. Once pollen starts to fall, she finds running outside difficult.<\/p>\n
Watch your run-on sentences here: \u201cMy lungs will kind of constrict a little bit so I\u2019ll feel a tightness in the chest,\u00a0<\/span>just because of the asthma and stuff, but usually I\u2019ll take an inhaler when I run when the allergies are really bad,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n A simple trip to the doctor’s office to learn what you\u2019re allergic to can completely change a person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about it,” Williams, the physician, said. “If you\u2019re just under the weather because you\u2019re not breathing well, you\u2019re congested… you\u2019re not functioning well. And if you\u2019re not functioning to your full capacity, do you see how much you\u2019re robbing your daily life, your quality of life.”<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Along with the spring temperatures, allergy season is heating up and medical experts say to be proactive. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":19120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[39,68],"tags":[659,119],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18783"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18783"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19240,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18783\/revisions\/19240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}