Spring is, arguably, one of the most beautiful seasons, with all the flowers blooming and the plants growing. However, with this yearly awakening of the extravagant sight that the growth of plants creates comes the wake of a yellow powder, and, with it, the start of another kind of season: allergy season.
Some students with allergies did not have a great time during this season.
“Well, as soon as the flowers start blooming, my nose gets all stuffed and my eyes itch, and I sneeze all the time,” said Senior Isabella Christmon.
Other students also have similar problems every year.
“Usually, I have allergies, and they aren’t always super bad, but I am allergic to pollen,” Junior Grace Billingsley said. “Usually, I get really watery eyes, my throat closes up, and I cough a lot more.”
The Nevada Joint Union district nurse, Becky Bronswick, explained why, in Grass Valley and Auburn, allergies are much worse.
“Around here, we have poor air quality and lots of wind, which blows the pollen everywhere,” she said. “If there was less wind, allergies wouldn’t be as much of an issue.”
When their allergies kick in, some of these students, such as Senior Aidan Smith, may have to alter the routine that they go through every morning.
“Sometimes, I can’t go outside when it’s really raining pollen and it’s covering everything,” he said. “Those days, I stay inside.”
When allergies kick in, some of the students need some ways to make it through the day without too much trouble. Some of them are stranger sounding than others.
“Usually, I run outside, which seems counterintuitive, but it helps because it clears out my head,” Billingsley said. “It keeps me from getting stuffed up. Or, I just take over the counter allergy medicine.”
Others, such as Christmon, have the usual solutions that one might think of.
“I have medicine that I take, like the usual Benadryl, but I have allergies pretty bad, so I have prescribed medicine because I need that high dosage,” she said.
While spring is considered by many to be beautiful, many still have to suffer through the pollen filled months.
“Spring is my favorite, yet least favorite, time of year because I get allergies, bad,” said Smith. “Usually, I get that runny nose, and I’m sneezing in class.”
Bronswick gave some insight into why many of us have allergies.
“Allergies are caused by many different things, but, most typically, they are caused by pollen,” she said. “Spring is very bad during this time because everything is blooming and pollen is in the air. Everyone is affected differently by pollen, and so everyone is treated differently. When people have allergies, histamine is released, and that causes some to become tired or have itchy eyes. Some of the options for allergies are to treat the symptoms with an antihistamine, or you can get tested to find the cause, and treat that.
Bronswick also had some advice for students with these annual ailments.
“The best thing you can do without those options is to drink lots of water, sleep, and eat a healthy amount,” she said.
