Philadelphia ragweed season peaks for allergy sufferers

It’s been a pretty pleasant summer, at least for the average ragweed.

Chances are excellent that these hearty weeds will be celebrating the next two weeks with explosions of reproductive pollen to plague millions of allergy sufferers in the Philly area and across the country.

In purely coincidental synchronization with hurricane season, this is the peak period for ambrosia. The rains of the last week have probably suppressed the daily production of pollen: the rains dampen the flight plans. But much more is on the slopes.

Unfortunately, this mild effect – and it would be the only one linked to Ida – tends to evaporate after 48 hours, said Donald Dvorin, an allergist who is the pollen counter certified by the National Allergy Bureau for the region.

So expect a dry weather harvest this week. “It’s coming,” Dvorin said.

The season usually ends in October. These days, however, thanks to the rise in carbon dioxide and the associated rise in global and local temperatures that pushed back those early frost dates, it seems to be going on a bit longer, says Melanie Carver, chief of mission with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Predict precisely how bad the season will be, said Dvorin, last year being an example.

However, if you’re allergic to ragweed, this isn’t necessarily the best time to spend a lot of time outdoors. Among the 100 most populous regions in the country, Philadelphia ranks in the top 30 of the “hardest” places to live for people with allergies, based on pollen levels and treatment options, according to the foundation.

Ragweed might seem like a derogatory nickname, and in this case, it’s well deserved. Pollen is part of the plant’s reproductive process; they must therefore see something in each other.

It’s simple, plentiful and ubiquitous. The only refuge in the United States would be Alaska, according to the Allergy Foundation.

READ MORE: The Secret Life of Pollen: It Makes You Sneeze, Itchy Eyes, Can Solve Crimes

There are 50 different species, said Marc Goldstein, an allergist at the Asthma Center in Philadelphia, and a plant can make a billion pollen grains.

It is a trigger for the sneezing, itchy eyes and severe spiking that are common symptoms of “hay fever,” which has absolutely nothing to do with hay.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology identifies the most important torturer as the Serrated Ragweed that resides in grasses.

READ MORE: The Secret Life of Pollen: It Makes You Sneeze, Itchy Eyes, Can Solve Crimes

Some symptoms of COVID-19 and seasonal allergies may overlap, doctors advise, including cough, fatigue, headaches and loss of smell.

However, allergies are not associated with fevers, chills, sore throat, muscle pain, or bowel problems.

Here is a handy chart courtesy of the Asthma Center.

The tormented would be wise to follow the daily pollen counts.

They are posted between 6 and 7 a.m. by the Center City Asthma Center, which uses an automated system. Later that day, Dvorin, whose practice is in Mount Laurel, publishes counts based on a 24-hour sample of what was caught in his pollen traps.

While the accounts aren’t predictive, they can give you an idea of ​​what to expect. The actual pollen forecast remains a work in progress.

Dvorin said a key factor in the intensity of the season would be rainfall six weeks before the season, which typically begins in mid-August. Conditions looked ripe for a robust season last year, he said, but it was only a few days that the counts reached extreme levels.

Any downpours could affect pollen levels this week; however, inevitably ragweed will have its days. And these days seem to be extending their reach.

Some evidence suggests longer seasons, Dvorin said, although data is lacking and, for various reasons, fewer allergists are participating in the counting network.

READ MORE: As pollen torments millions of people, it could get worse, and it’s poorly measured in America

This would be linked to generally hotter falls. An Inquirer study documented that in the first 18 years of the 21st century, Philadelphia’s first official frost – defined as the first day the temperature dropped to 32 degrees – on average happened on November 14, six days more later than it was in the period from 1874 to 2000.

Also, Carver of the Allergy Foundation said, all that carbon dioxide could supply plants with vitamins to make them more productive. Just what allergy sufferers need.

Aside from injections and medications, allergists say the best strategy for avoiding symptoms is to simply avoid pollen.

If you are outside, change your clothes when you get inside and keep the windows clean if you can handle it.

READ MORE: Masks can filter pollen, but they can be ‘double-edged swords’

Masks can help, but Goldstein says they’re pollen traps too, so it wouldn’t hurt to wear a washable outer mask and keep the inner mask in a clean plastic bag.

And the season will end, although these days it might take a little longer.