Re: Warm weather causes rare winter allergies

[Guest guest]

A theory on this I heard from a health professional was that

packaging materials outgas worse in warm weather than in cold. That

might cause sinuses and noses to be irritated even without being

allergic.

Thanks for replies to my question--this list has been a godsend!

--- In , " tigerpaw2c " <tigerpaw2C@n...>

wrote:

>

> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?

> category=1500 & slug=Early%20Allergies

>

> Friday, January 7, 2005 · Last updated 12:29 p.m. PT

>

> Warm weather causes rare winter allergies

>

> By DANIEL YEE

> ASSOCIATED PRESS

>

> ATLANTA -- A warm spell in the Southeast that has brought people

out

> in shorts and T-shirts in January has also given rise to a fair-

> weather phenomenon: allergy attacks.

>

> Doctors and pharmacists are reporting a surge in sniffles, sneezes

> and coughs - and not from ordinary winter colds, either.

>

> " We're selling a lot more allergy than cold medicine, " said

> , owner of 's Rexall Drugs in Atlanta. He said he has

> not seen such a warm spell - and such allergy-medicine sales in

the

> middle of the winter - " in years and years. "

>

> In Atlanta, 62-year-old Margaret Lovejoy was surprised to suffer a

> flare-up of her asthma in the winter.

>

> " I've been having asthma this whole two weeks, " she said.

>

>

>

> While much of the rest of the nation is shivering amid the usual

> January ice and snow, the Southeast has been basking under a high-

> pressure system since just after Christmas that has kept cold

fronts

> at bay and sent the mercury climbing as high as the mid-70s.

>

> Charlotte, N.C., has either hit or approached daily records in the

> past several days, with temperatures in the 70s. Memphis, Tenn.,

> reached nearly 63 degrees, well above the usual readings in the

40s.

> , Miss., and Birmingham, Ala., have been running about 20

> degrees above normal.

>

> It is not pollen that is causing the misery, but mold, said Dr.

> , an associate professor with Emory University's

> division of allergy and immunology. Mold thrives in warmer weather

> and has a " wonderful " place to grow on vegetation that has died in

> the winter, he said.

>

> said people with mold allergies should not rake leaves or

> do other lawn work and gardening that could disturb the mold and

> release spores into the air.

> At Giant Genie Pharmacy in Charlotte, N.C., owner Robby is

> getting dozens of calls from customers complaining about allergy

> symptoms. He can relate to their problems: " With all the mold and

> mildew around my allergies have gone crazy. "

>

> Winter weather is fighting back, though, with temperatures in the

> 50s forecast for Friday and Saturday.

>

> " It's a pretty sure bet that winter will return, " said Mike

> Strickler of the National Weather Service in Raleigh, N.C.

>

> ---

>

> On the Net:

>

> National Allergy Bureau pollen and mold counts:

> http://www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm?ppollen