With the arrival of allergy season, more than 26 million allergy sufferers prepare for the sneezing and congestion that accompanies hay fever. But are their remedies up to the challenge?
An allergic condition, hay fever results from exposure to substances in the air, like pollen, which cause cells in the human immune system to release histamine causing an allergic reaction.
As a result, people experience itching in the nose, roof of the mouth, eyes and throat. Other symptoms include tearing, sneezing, and clear, watery nasal discharge, headaches and irritability.
In the spring, tree pollen is the prime culprit triggering hay fever and can start to be a problem as early as February. However, ragweed, a yellow flowering weed that grows particularly well in dry, hot areas, is the No. 1 cause of hay fever symptoms. Ragweed season begins mid-August and runs through November, or until the first frost, in the majority of the country.
“Regardless of the $4 billion spent on allergy products in our country, allergy sufferers are still experiencing the symptoms and not finding relief,” said Terry Lemerond, founder and president of EuroPharma, a...