How Asthma can be exacerbated by being in an urban city: Pollution + Pollen

Author: Dr. Jason Price

Asthma is sadly one of the most debilitating conditions in America. It affects adults and children alike and according to the Center for Disease Control there are some 14 million school days lost each year as a result of asthma. Families are inconvenienced by having to drop everything to look after their child, requiring parents to take time off work, and in the worst cases, becoming one of the approximately two million asthma related emergency-room visits every year.

City dwellers are at even more risk of asthma attacks due to increased environmental factors such as heavy traffic, tightly condensed living quarters and parks with pollen producing trees and grasses. Back in 2002, research showed that up to 30% of childhood asthma is due to environmental factors and that constant exposure to air pollution can be a significant contributing factor to the development of asthma in previously healthy people.

Dr. Jason Price is a pediatric pulmonologist at Hudson Allergy and he knows what to look for when evaluating asthma symptoms in New York City’s children.

“There are four main kinds of air pollutants that city dwellers need to be aware of and monitor”, said Dr. Price.

“Ground Level Ozone is common in many urban centers and cities. It can trigger attacks and make existing asthma worse. It is created when pollution from traffic reacts with oxygen and sunlight and is a particular hazard to children as they usually spend more time outdoors than their parents, while at school and playing.

Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide are two of the other main respiratory irritants that can trigger attacks. They are created and released when coal and oil are burned. Diesel engines that use high-sulfur fuels tend to release this pollutant into the air.

The fourth type of pollutant is called Particulate Matter. This is the term that allergy professionals use when we talk about large pollutant particles like soot, ash, smoke and dust that can accumulate and build up in the lungs, making future attacks more likely.”

There are several things that Dr. Price and the other physicians at Hudson Allergy can recommend or perscribe to prevent asthma attacks in both children and adults.

If you would like to find out more on how to minimize the effects of pollution and pollen on your allergies, come visit us in Tribeca and see how we can help. Click here to book an appointment on line or give us a call at 212-729-1283.

Four Tips To Help You Get Through Allergy Season

Now that tax day is here, we are officially in heart of April and it is really starting to feel like Spring! When you make your way around the city we are sure that you are starting to notice the trees and flowers starting to bloom, and the grass beginning to sprout.  Hello allergies! For more than 30 million Americans, spring kicks off an annual search for ways to avoid spring allergies. Here are a few ideas for relief.

Check you local pollen index

This is a great way to check the pollen levels in your local area, and figure out what types of pollen are prevalent in your zip code.  Weather.com and Pollen.com are two great resources to check the pollen levels. This can be very helpful if you know which types of triggers you are allergic to so that you can change your plans if a particular pollen is running rampant near your particular destination.  

Keep your indoor space allergy free

You can help control you allergies by controlling your environment. If pollen levels are high outside, make sure that you keep your indoor environment allergy free (or as much as possible). One way we recommend minimizing indoor allergens is to get an air purifier, specifically a HEPA Air Purifier. HEPA Air Purifiers have a filter that captures up to 99% of mold spores, pollen, pet dander, smoke and dust, all of which are common allergens.

Another tip is to keep windows closed and if it’s hot turn on the air conditioning unit.  A/C unites have filter in them that should filter out most allergens.  The filter should be cleaned weekly or if not possible, change the filter prior to the pollen season.

Wash your hands frequently

It sounds so simple, but it’s important that you wash your hands frequently during peak allergy season and washing your hands should be a regular habit, regardless of your destination or time of year.  If you regularly feel the negative affects of allergies, you should also get into the habit of regularly washing your face as well, and when you get home from being out, you should also change your clothes. It is also recommended to shower at night time before you go to bed and thoroughly wash your hair. Remember that pollen sticks to everything and the more you can do to keep it off your body the better.

Talk to an allergist

If your eyes are puffy, your nose won’t stop running, and your throat itches, you may have more severe allergies than you think and you ought to talk to an allergist. There might be some additional measure that an allergist would want you to take to help you get through allergy season.

For example, one of the first things an allergist might recommend is doing a skin test to pinpoint exactly what you are allergic to. This can be very helpful to know, as it will guide you on what to steer clear of or pay special attention to during allergy season.

Here at Hudson Allergy, there have been many times that allergy shots have really helped our patients. Imagine what it’s like to feel “normal” during spring and fall?

If you are looking for more information about allergies or remedies for season allergies, we invite you to come to our website where you can learn more about our practice and the three wonderful doctors who bring it to life. Or, something else to consider is that we do take same day appointments, so don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’ve had it with your seasonal allergies. We are here to help!

Central Park Allergens: Tree Pollen

Millions of tourists visit Central Park each year to see the sights, but for local New Yorkers Central Park is considered one of the top places to escape the hustle bustle of the city. Central Park is an oasis in the concrete jungle, a place to recharge from our crazy lives, a place to BREATH! 

However, as springtime comes, some of us find it hard to breath in Central Park, as the trees, weeds and flowers begin to bloom.

Central Park is the flor and fauna capital of Manhattan, and many allergy sufferers become conflicted between the beauty of her nature and the effect it has on our allergies. 

As a New York City Adult and Pediatric Allergy and Asthma practice, we want to help our fellow New Yorkers identify some of the common Central Park trees and plants that can be tough on allergies.

Oak Trees: Few trees are as “strong as an oak” and this strength is carried throughout their pollen. There are approximately 600 different species of oak across planet earth and there are about 5 different species that live in Central Park.  To pollinate, oak trees produce catkins, which are slender dense clusters of petal-less flowers. These catkins develop prior to the leaves, and aid in the pollination process, but they make a mess as they float about the air. You can find some gigantic Spanish Oak and Northern Red Oak near the Great Lawn.

Cypress Trees: These beautiful trees have been causing humans allergies since before Central Park, and even the ancients Greeks had allergies to the Mediterranean Cypress Trees.  Cypress pollens can cause a “green pollution” when their pollen is released, and this could be the stuff you see floating atop the Harlem Meer. Two types of Cypress in Central Park are the Common Bald Cypress and Swamp Cypress.

Maple Trees: While maple trees are the source of delicious maple syrup, they are also the parents of some of the most allergenic pollen. These pollens regularly trigger asthma so if you are asthmatic, it is wise to keep your distance.  There are some beautiful Red Maples in Central Park, especially near the Mall At Bandshell.

Grass: No list would be complete without mentioning one of the most commonly known allergy-inducing culprits, grass. There are many types of grasses in Central Park and they can all have different affects on people. When in the park, it is normal to sit and play in the grass and this direct skin contact allows for the blades and their microscopic barbs to irritate your skin. This is a tough one to avoid, but wearing long sleeves can prevent direct contact, and a quick shower can also help relieve the itching.

If you find your self itching and sneezing when you walk through the park, chances are that you have allergies to one of the many trees found in Central Park. If you want to know for certain, schedule an allergy test and lets get to the root of it!

To find out more about the different trees in Central Park, click here. 

Lousy Smarch Weather

Last week I happily put my winter coats in the back of the closet, and then this week I begrudgingly pulled them back out again. It seems that March this year has come in like and lion, and it looks like its going to go out like a…well..a lion. Is this going to make the allergy season shorter? Can we all stop stocking up on Kleenex?

Studies looking at the relationship between weather patterns and pollen levels are notoriously difficult to perform.  Pollen collecting devices are obviously static and cannot move around.  Therefore, any variations in wind patterns precipitation, or even land use for farming and commercial development can have effects on local pollen counts, without really explaining what’s going on in the wider region.

One of the best studies was performed in the mid-eighties in California. The study looked at oak pollen (a really common allergen in NYC, and the most populous trees in Central Park) over a 9 year period of time, looking at various meteorological variables. The level of total pollen counts and, therefore allergy symptoms, was best explained not by the length of the winter months, but by the total rainfall the previous year.  Last year, NYC came just under the average for rainfall, so maybe we will be spared this season?

Another multi-year study in Colorado looked at temperatures and weed pollen (like ragweed). They found that higher temperatures led to more days of high pollen counts, and that early frost effectively ended the allergy season. Will these prolonged low temperatures lead to lower pollen counts this spring? Maybe this year Mother Nature is trying to give all of us a break by keeping it colder just a little bit longer.

If you are interested in finding out if you have allergies, what you are allergic to and how your symptoms can be cured, we are here to help. Give us a call to schedule an appointment, or simply click here to bookonline.