'Allergy' may not be allergy

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http://www.trnonline.com/stories/12012001/local_news/28372.shtml

Sat, December 1, 2001

'Allergy' may not be allergy

Trish Choate, , Times Record News

All right you dirty allergies, stop right where you are.

Freeze!

Putting allergies on ice actually does stop some of them cold, but others

are happy to chill with Jack Frost, doctors said. And appearances can be

misleading. An " allergy " might be something else entirely.

This week's cold snap means one thing for sure.

" With the snow and the ice, the ragweed is pretty much out of the

picture, " said Dr. Cameron Godfrey, a Clinics of North Texas allergist.

The dreaded ragweed blossoms in the fall. The first heavy freeze topples

ragweed's reign.

" Most of what we see are seasonal allergies when the plants are blooming

and the pollen count is high, " said Dr. Larry Sharp, Clinics of North Texas

spokesman and a family-practice physician.

Seasonal allergies, of course, don't live forever, but some never say

die.

Reactions to dust, pets and mold continue as long as the irritant is

around, Godfrey said. The picture gets more complicated during cold and flu

season from mid-fall to mid-spring.

" There's lots of viruses and things floating around, " he said. " So

sometimes allergies get blamed for things that aren't really allergies. "

Docs can even have a hard time differing between an allergy and a virus,

Godfrey said. Usually, an allergy manifests itself with sneezing, a clogged

nose, and itchy eyes and nose. A productive cough, fever and colored nasal

drainage mean something else is going on.

If the affliction is an allergy, the first line of defense is an

over-the-counter antihistamine, Sharp said. Don't use over-the-counter nasal

sprays for longer than two days. Otherwise, they can be addicting, leading

to withdrawal symptoms.

If over-the-counter products don't work, see a physician to find out if

the malady is an allergy, he said. A doctor can prescribe more effective

medication. Shots and testing are available for chronic allergies that don't

respond to other treatments. If allergy medication doesn't clear up

symptoms, that's a sign an allergy isn't the problem, Godfrey said.

Viral or bacterial infection could be the culprit.

A thermometer usually reveals what's what, medical experts said. A

temperature below 100.8 indicates a virus. Anything above 100.8 signals a

bacterial infection. The difference is important when it comes to treatment.

Flu and colds are viral, Godfrey said. Antibiotics will not touch them.

Those medications are effective only against bacterial illnesses. So

patients shouldn't press a reluctant doctor for antibiotics.

They are not a quick fix or cure-all, medical experts said. Overuse has

bred " superbugs " resistant to common antibiotics. The Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention in Atlanta ranks antibiotic resistance as one of the

world's most serious health problems.

Medical Writer Trish Choate can be reached at (940) 763-7597 or with

e-mail at choatet@....