Simple tips can help
alleviate allergies
Even with high pollen
counts, the suffering
doesn’t have to continue
By G. Jams
Oregon Daily Emerald
With the thrill of spring comes
the agony of allergies.
In the spring, summer and fall,
pollen is released from trees, grass
es and weeds. On its wind-borne
journey to fertilize other plants,
pollen finds its way into people’s
noses, eyes and throats, triggering
allergies or hay fever. Warm, sun
ny days combine with breezes to
trigger high pollen counts.
“We are coming into tree pollen
season now,” said Judy Moran, a
registered nurse at Eugene’s certi
fied pollen counting station,
which is part of the National Al
lergy Network through the Ameri
can Academy of Allergy Asthma
and Immunology.
Eugene’s tree pollen count is
considered high right now, while
counts for grasses and weeds are ei
ther very low or none, Moran said.
Statistically, about 20 percent
of the U.S. population suffers
from pollen allergies.
Proneness to allergies is a ge
netically passed trait that can skip
generations, and severity isn’t
necessarily passed, so it’s hard to
trace, Moran said.
“You often hear people say, ‘I
was never allergic until I moved
to the Willamette Valley,”’ Moran
said. “Well, they had that allergic
gene that they were bom with, but
it’s just taken a series of expo
sures. And you get such a grass
pollen load here.”
Short of staying indoors when
the pollen count is high, there is
no easy way to avoid wind-borne
pollen. But there are some precau
tions that people can take to re
duce their pollen exposure.
Sharon Herbert, nurse manager
of the allergy asthma clinic at the
Student Health Center, suggested
that people shower when they
come in for the evening and
change clothes and bed linens —
at least the pillow cases. Pollen of
ten sticks on hair, eyelashes, skin
and clothing, Herbert said.
She also warns that pet hair is
often laden with pollen, so she
advises students to wash their
r
■Wear sunglasses or glasses In
stead of contacts
■ Shower when you get home atthe
end of the day
■Wash bedding and pillowcases
regularly
■Wash hands after petting furry pets
■ Don’t let pets sleep with you
■Damp-dustthe house
■ Sleep with wi ndows closed
■WearapoUen mask while bike riding
hands after handling their pets
and not let pets sleep with them.
Sunglasses can help because
they put up a physical barrier to
pollen getting in the eyes. People
who have hay fever and wear con
tacts should consider wearing
their glasses for better protection,
Herbert said.
As difficult as it may be, Her
bert also suggested that people
with hay fever limit their outdoor
activity on clear, windy days.
The pollen count is highest in
the early morning hours.
“If you have to ride your bike
across town, wear a pollen mask,”
Herbert said.
Another time people come into
heavy contact with pollen is
when they dust the house, be
cause pollen sticks to dust.
“People should never dust with
a feather duster,” Herbert said.
“Damp dust.”
They should also wear a pollen
mask when they vacuum and
then open up the area and leave
for a while to let everything settle.
Relief for people with a less se
vere reaction to pollen can be
found with an antihistamine. His
tamine is one of the catalysts that
causes itching and sneezing.
But for people who need some
thing more, there are allergy shots
as well as nose sprays that work
on the mucous membrane. There
is no single cure-all shot. Thirty
years ago people were given one
shot that consisted of a corticos
teroid, but that only masked the
symptoms and often led to long
term side effects, Herbert said.
The Student Health Center of
fers skin tests and treatments for
allergies. Call 346-4441 for more
information.
JOIN US FOR THE 1999
JOHNSTON LECTURE
Sponsored by the University of Oregon
School of Journalism and Communication
“The Writer, the Truth, and the Law
The Longest-Running Literary Lawsuit"
■/.." .."1
Peter Matthiessen
Friday, April 23,1999,7:30 p.m.
150 Columbia Hall
University of Oregon
This lecture is made possible with an endowment gift from the
Richard w. Johnston memorial project
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (541) 346-2134. ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH
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ing a series of open discussions at the EMU. The roundtables take place in the Century
Rooms Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. & Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Date
April 21
April 22
Topic
Place
The Bible and Warfare
for information: 726-5480
Annual Meeting Today!
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April 21, 3:30 At the Wesley Center,
next to the Bookstore on Kincaid
Current U0 students, faculty and staff are invited!
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OF OREGON
ciiiTh:
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895 East 13th Ave. 346-4331
Check out these
Interview Sites
Have a pre-arranged Summer Job & Career Fair interview scheduled?
If you do, you know it.* Then check out this list for where you need to be
for the interview. Write down your site, and plan on arriving at least 10
minutes prior to the start of the interview. Good luck!
April 22 /
Gerlinger Lounge
All State Insurance
Gold Arrow Camp
IBP Inc.
National Credit Union Administration
Nautica Retail USA
Norwest Financial Services
Mervyn's-Beaverton, OR
Mervyn's-Hayward, CA
Target Stores
Payless Shoes
Safeco Corp./Safeco Agents
EMU Owyhee
Cintas Corp.
Strategy Associates Public Relations
EMU Alsea
Jeld-Wen
Phillips & Co. Securities
EMU Coquille
Office Depot
Career Center
Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations
Frito-Lay Incorporated
Price Pfister
April 23
Gerlinger Lounge
Advantage Schools
Balboa Capital Corporation
Black & Decker
Camp Wilani
Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Express
Norwest Financial
Pacific Automation
US Army
Yellowstone National Lodge & Parks
Career Center
Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations
Macy's West
Price Pfister
•Interviews with these companies can be scheduled at the Career Fair on a space-available basis.
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