DETROIT – We’ve all been enjoying the beautiful weather lately but experts warn there is a price to pay for our mild winter.
That is especially true if you suffer from allergies or asthma.
Here’s the problem -- those deep winter freezes are needed to kill mold spores. When the winter is mild, like the one we’ve just experienced, those spores don’t freeze.
Mild winters also mean the growing season for plants starts earlier and so do allergy and asthma symptoms. Climate change and shifting weather patterns have already had an impact on allergy sufferers and it’s likely to get worse.
“Scientists have been looking at different pollen stations throughout the US and Canada,” said Dr. Mariel Benjamin, a University of Michigan Health allergist. “And they’ve estimated that by 2040, the amount of pollen during the pollen season will double.”
Benjamin said the pollen season is about 20 days longer now than it was 30 years ago.
“With those things together, we can see that pollen allergies will be much worse over the coming years and symptoms will continue to increase,” Benjamin said.
Extra pollen and molds can trigger symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath. Plus warmer temperatures mean higher levels of carbon dioxide and ozone pollution, which both increase asthma symptoms.
“With all of that, together, we’ll expect people who have asthma to have increasing issues over the coming years,” Benjamin said. “We can still do allergy testing that specifically finds out what you’re allergic to. And based on that there are some newer treatments including sublingual immunotherapy, which means allergy tablets that you can put under your tongue that specifically target what you’re allergic to.”
In addition to properly treating your allergies and asthma, it’s also worthwhile to take steps to keep allergens out of your house. That means keeping windows closed, putting high-quality air filters on your air conditioner and furnace, and changing your clothes and showering when you come inside.