SALT LAKE CITY — Cedar, oak, birch, cottonwood.

They’re a big part of the local landscape, but they’re also causing Utahns a lot of trouble lately.

“We had a relatively warm winter and what might be perceived as an early or mild spring and this has promoted very high pollen counts,” said Dr. Charles Rogers, a board-certified allergist with Allergy Associates of Utah and Intermountain Medical Center. Rogers works out of two offices and definitely keeps busy this time of year.

Pollen counts for a variety of trees are already way above average, “extra high,” according to Intermountain Allergy and Asthma, which produces daily measures of what’s in the air in the Salt Lake Valley.

“This year is the same or worse than other years,” Rogers said. “But it has come on somewhat earlier.”

Tree pollens are typically bad from March through June, grass pollens pick up in late April and are prevalent through July, and weed season is worst from July to October. this year, many trees have been pollinating since February.

“These things have a tremendous negative impact on quality of life,” said Dr. Craig Moffat, a board-certifed allergist at Alta View Hospital and the Intermountain Sandy Clinic. He said allergies have a tendency to interfere with school, work and daily life, often leading to decreased productivity and absenteeism.

“The best treatment is to change your parents or change your genes,” Moffat joked. “But since we can’t do that, there’s actually really good therapy available.”

Allergies, he said, are inherited from a person’s parents. if one parent has allergies, children have a 33 percent chance of also having allergies. The percentage increases to 66 percent when both parents suffer from allergies. Moffat’s family history (he has one parent with allergies) actually helped him determine his own career path, as he wanted to help others find relief.

Children aren’t typically affected by seasonal allergies until age 5, and Moffat said symptoms continue to get worse through a person’s 20s and 30s, when they peak and eventually fade away at age 70 or 80.

Both doctors said initial appointments with an allergist or a primary care physician involve recording a patients’ history and examining symptoms.

Typical symptoms for seasonal allergies, Moffat said, include red, itchy, watery eyes and runny nose, sneezing and itchiness.

Thursday may 12, 2011

PITTSFIELD — Ash. Maple. Elm. Birch. Cottonwood.

In the springtime, the trees may look pretty enough, but for allergy sufferers, their resulting pollen is nothing to sneeze at. Sniffling and dry-eyed Berkshirites beware — physicians say that this is only the beginning of yet another interminable allergy season.

“I don’t know if it’s the pollen or what,” said Michael Maysonet of Pittsfield while he was outside on North Street on Wednesday. “It gets me congested, gets my nose runny — all sorts of stuff.”

Lauren Winneroski of Pittsfield said she’s not an allergy sufferer, but the pollen was getting the best of her this spring.

“I get the itchy eyes — there’s something in the air, it’s been bothering everybody,” she said. “I’ve never been allergic to anything. but this morning I looked in the mirror and it looked like I was crying. It’s pretty horrendous.”

An expert in such matters, Pittsfield allergist Dr. Thomas Edwards calls it “a very bad season it’s always a bad season for those that suffer.”

Edwards’ office measures pollen counts in Pittsfield around three times a week. The most recent measurement, from Tuesday, showed 981 pollen particles per cubic meter of air — the “high” level of the spectrum. Anything above 1,500 is considered “very high” — or, for allergy sufferers, pure misery.

And the reason for all this? Blame last year’s good weather, Edwards said.

“Pollen levels were actually higher last year, but curiously, people seem to be more symptomatic this year,” said Edwards, whose allergy patient volume is up this year compared to last. “It’s almost like they were primed last year by the very high levels [of pollen] and this year, it’s hitting a lot of people.”

In addition, the lack of rain — the National Weather Service reports just 0.58 inches of precipitation in Pittsfield since may 1 — has kept the air dry and pollen floating in the breeze.

But is this the beginning of exponentially worsening symptoms?

Edwards said that sheer numbers of allergy sufferers appear to be increasing for reasons that are still unclear, but that the actual severity of symptoms would likely vary on a season-to-season basis.

Edwards added that avoiding the allergens is next to impossible, outside of staying indoors and using daily antihistamine or prescription-only steroidal nose sprays.

“There isn’t really anything you can do in terms of outdoor control,” he said.

Once the tree pollen season concludes, grass pollen will start around Memorial Day, according to Edwards. and it gets worse.

“The next big onslaught is the weed pollen season, such as ragweed,” Edwards said. “It’ll begin around the 15th of August through the beginning of October.”

Parents talk of challenge taking care of daughter Lauren

10:40am Thursday 28th April 2011

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A mum has spoken of the heartbreak she feels every day over her daughter living with a disease that may shorten her life – and her hope that one day a cure will be found.

Two-year-old Lauren Birch has Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a disease that shortens life and inflicts a considerable daily treatment burden.

It is caused by a defective gene that results in internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, becoming clogged with thick, sticky mucus.

Lauren has to take more than six different medicines a day and have physiotherapy to clear mucus. She also requires occasional hospital stays and courses of intravenous antibiotics.

Now, ahead of Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week (May 8 to 14), her parents Jonathan and April Birch, of Kensington Street, Keighley, have spoken out in the hope of raising awareness of a disease for which there is no cure.

“Having Lauren suffering with Cystic Fibrosis has thrown us into a different world, worrying about her catching a cold or cough or tummy bug just has a whole set of new implications that we’d have never thought of before having her,” said 29-year-old April.

“Monitoring everything she eats and calculating the fat as we make her food to make sure we medicate correctly can be exhausting. It breaks my heart daily that she has to live with this disease and we do everything we can to make life as normal as possible. but the simple fact is her life isn’t and never will be normal unless a cure can be found.

“As morbid as it sounds, our worst fear is knowing one day whether ten, 20, or 30-plus years down the line, our reality could be burying our child.”

during CF awareness week the family is doing a collection via virginmoneygiving.com/team/Workouts and at Workouts Health Club in Shipley.

Anyone who donates money will be entered into a free prize draw.

There is also a running challenge at Workouts Health Club for the members where all proceeds will also be donated to the CF Trust.

Money raised during Cystic Fibrosis Week will help the Cystic Fibrosis Trust fund medical research to fight the symptoms of and treat the cause of CF. Visit cfweek.org.uk

Read these Keighley stories

by Birch Center Acupuncturist Melissa Sokulski

Spring is full of warmer weather, beautiful flowers and more time outdoors. Many of us enjoy these signs of spring but some find them intolerable due to seasonal allergies. Prescription and over-the-counter medications are widely available but do nothing to help overall health and come with a host of side effects. Natural remedies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine can clear symptoms of allergies and bring the body to balance thus allowing for a higher state of health and well-being.

People with seasonal allergies react to the pollen of flowers in trees, grasses and weeds with symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. Medications are widely available, even over the counter, yet come with their own host of side effects including being temporary loss of smell and taste. other side effects include headache, fatigue, wheezing and abdominal pain. Medications do nothing to improve health and prevent further allergies.

Allergies are a sign of an imbalance in the immune system. Balancing and strengthening the body can decrease or even rid oneself of seasonal allergies altogether. Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture and herbal remedies, does just this. Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine is two-fold: clearing the symptoms and balancing the meridians, thus improving overall health.

Acupuncture is excellent in treating the symptoms of allergies. Many allergy symptoms are located in the head (stuffiness, headache, itchy eyes) which reveals to the acupuncturist that the energy is not flowing smoothly from the head into the rest of the body, and vice versa. All the yang meridians flow from the hands up to the head and from the head down to the feet. using needles on the head and neck opens the yang channels and allows the energy to flow. the use of traditional herbal formulas such as Bi Yan Pian (which we carry at the Birch Center) opens the sinuses and clears the head and eyes allowing for symptom relief.

Acupuncture also helps balance the body which improves overall health. This is done by taking a complete intake and assessment of every client who comes for treatment. At the Birch Center we treat very specifically and individually, making sure the underlying cause of allergies (or any other symptom) is cleared. When the body is in balance, symptoms disappear and health is restored. Along with needles herbal formulas may be given which are specific to each person to restore balance and health.

While allergies can put a damper on enjoying the best the season holds, there is natural relief for allergy sufferers. the relief need not be temporary: when the body is brought to a higher level of health renewed energy, flexibility and joy of living is restored.

For more information or to schedule and appointment, you can call us at (412) 381-0116 or email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Thanks!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

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Respiratory Care – Time to Talk About Colds, Flu and Allergies

The natural health researchers at Institute for Vibrant Living (IVL) would like to thank Gillian Birch for contributing to this report:

As the winter months approach, this is the most common time for people to succumb to colds and flu. When you wake up in the morning with a swollen throat and a runny nose, how can you diagnose whether it is the beginning of a cold, flu or seasonal allergies? here are a few tips on how to treat all three possible problems, and better still, how to prevent them safely and naturally.

Allergies

Allergies may be caused by seasonal triggers, such as pollen, or caused by the environment, such as dust, smoke or mold. Allergy symptoms usually include itchy, watery eyes, sneezing and a runny nose. Allergies will come and go as you expose your body to the cause, so finding out what the cause of the allergy is, or at least identifying where and when it occurs, is the best way to deal with allergies safely and naturally.

If help is needed to alleviate the symptoms, there are several excellent sources of natural allergy treatment. look for natural allergy remedies based on olive leaf, blackcurrant and ginseng which will all help lessen the uncomfortable symptoms. Stinging nettle and quercetin are also powerful natural supplements which will fight allergies safely and naturally. if these do not offer relief, it may be necessary to resort to an over-the-counter antihistamine, although some products can cause drowsiness.

Colds

If a runny nose and itchy eyes are accompanied by coughing, a thicker nasal discharge, mild fever and fatigue, you are more likely to be suffering from a cold.

Colds are caused by viruses and are caught through contact, coughing or sneezing. keep your distance from anyone suffering with a cold, wash your hands frequently and use a hand sanitizer to minimize the spread of the virus. There is no magic cure for a cold, but drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, and taking a natural cold treatment will provide natural relief and shorten the length of time you are unwell.

Echinacea is known to support the immune system which fights viruses and harmful bacteria. It works well with garlic which was used by the Egyptians to keep their workers in top health. Ginger is another antiviral herb which helps reduce fever and induces rest. Vitamin C is also good for fighting cold symptoms naturally, so enjoy plenty of fresh fruit, blended as a drink to aid recovery.

Fighting a cold is important to avoid it developing into a more serious respiratory problem such as pneumonia or bronchitis. taking natural cold remedies and preventative herbal supplements are the best way to provide good lung care.

Influenza (Flu)

Like colds, flu is a virus which is spread through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms include a high fever, muscle aches and pains and bedrest is required. Prevention may include getting a flu shot if you are over 65 or have respiratory problems. Take plenty of drinks and a pain reliever if your temperature is high. Natural flu treatment should include elderberry extract, which has been found to strengthen the immune system and block the flu virus, and echinacea, one of the best natural flu remedies which may help reduce the duration of the flu.

Prevention Naturally

The best way to prevent colds and flu is to support your immune system which will fight off all types of bacteria and viruses naturally. Consider taking one of the natural herbal formulas to build up a strong immune system throughout the year, preventing any of these ailments whilst providing the best possible respiratory care.