LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - If you're allergic, you don't need us to verify that allergy season is officially upon us.
Right now, tree pollen is the culprit. There are however misunderstandings about allergies and a lot of misconceptions.
So THV11 met with Dr. Stacy Griffin, an allergist with Little Rock Allergy and Asthma and expert who can verify what's true and what's not.
A lot of people say allergy shots don't work. Dr. Griffin, explain why that is not true.
Dr. Griffin: Lots of studies in the past have shown that allergy shots are good at helping with environmental allergens...We give you a little bits of the things that you're allergic to over time, so it may take some time for your allergy shots to work.
Can you get allergies as an adult?
Dr. Griffin: Allergies can develop as an adult. Particularly if you come from an area, maybe up north, where you're not exposed to a lot of trees and grasses and weeds. Then you move to an area down south where that vegetation is common. You can be sensitized to allergens and develop allergies as an adult.
Can you grow out of your allergies?
Dr. Griffin: Allergies, environmental allergies, tend to change over time. And as children grow and get bigger, their airways also get bigger. And the symptoms may lessen with those allergies and get to the point where it doesn't affect their quality of life. We typically refer to that as growing out of allergies.
Do you need my medication when I don't have symptoms?
Dr. Griffin: That varies, depending on what type of allergies you have. If you have seasonal allergies, where you're just allergic to trees, and tree season is typically about three to four months out of the year, you can really just stay on the medications during that timeframe. And then when tree season is over, you can just come off the medications. But if you have year-round allergies or seasonal allergies in multiple seasons, you're better off staying on your medications long-term.
Does the pollen on my car cause me to sneeze?
Dr. Griffin: Fiction. The pollen on your car that you see is usually too heavy to be an allergen. It's the pollen you do not see which is the one that causes the most problems.
Does local honey help treat allergies?
Dr. Griffin: Unfortunately, I looked up two studies and both of them showed that local honey did not make a big difference in the treatment of environmental allergies.