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Comin' At-CHOO: Chattanoogans Face Fall Allergy Challenges As Pollen, Mold Levels Rise

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As the vibrant colors of fall foliage emerge and the aroma of pumpkin spice fills the air, many in Chattanooga are finding themselves battling an unexpected foe: Fall allergies.

Despite the common belief that allergy season peaks in spring, the cooler autumn months bring their own set of challenges.

Jessica Van Mason, an allergist at the Chattanooga Allergy Clinic, said, "We're officially in cold and flu season." She noted that fall is particularly "tricky for people with asthma," as both ragweed pollen and mold spores are currently high in the area.

Van Mason explained, "When we're pollen allergic, in the spring, it's usually from tree pollen, but in the fall, it's usually from weed pollens or mold spores." The accumulation of fallen leaves and rain creates ideal conditions for mold, a significant allergen during this time.

"People with allergies or allergic asthma can definitely be triggered by ragweed," Van Mason said, highlighting it as the predominant pollen in the region during fall.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ragweed can produce a billion grains of pollen per season, contributing to the widespread issue.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reported that in 2021, approximately 26% of adults and 19% of children in the U.S. Were diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever.

In Chattanooga, Van Mason said, "We see young children that are affected by their allergies, all the way up to older individuals that are affected." She advised residents experiencing symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, a runny nose, or congestion to consider allergy testing. "We can do breathing tests to check to see if it looks like you might have asthma," she said. "We can also do allergy tests to see if there's something in the environment, whether that's an indoor allergen or an outdoor allergen, that's triggering your respiratory symptoms."

Experts emphasize the importance of understanding which medications to take and when to seek medical help. They also advise being aware of personal triggers and working to avoid them. Common fall activities like gardening and raking leaves can increase exposure to allergens, while cooler months often mean more time spent indoors with dust mites, indoor mold, and pet dander.

Van Mason added, "A lot of people's respiratory diseases or illnesses can be triggered by just that cold or even drier air."

You can check our daily pollen count every weekday here.

19 Health Alert: New App Uses A.I. Face Scan To Predict Allergy And Asthma Attacks

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -With the change in season comes some nasty allergens in the air.

There's a new health app out that is combining the power of artificial intelligence with the local conditions to forecast allergy attacks and help you get ahead of your symptoms.

"My eyes would almost close shut," said asthma patient Pat Bennet.

She suffers from a host of seasonal allergies. She's tried everything from over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants, to changing her diet.

"I started taking allergy treatment in the form of allergy shots to hopefully build up my immunity," she said.

So she was interested when she heard about a new app, Sonucast, that promises to help allergy patients predict how they're going to feel on a certain day, and get ahead of their symptoms before they become unmanageable, or avoid locations where conditions might trigger them.

Dr. Paramesh Gopi is the CEO and founder of Sound Health, which has developed Sonucast.

"The size of your nose, and the volume and the surface area inside your nasal cavity have a huge impact in terms of your allergenic response," he said.

The app scans your face to get an idea of how your anatomy and facial structure affects your allergies. That combined with current conditions in your area gives users a forecast

"If you have cavities that look like narrow canyons and short canyons all these little pollen guys are going to get crowded and they're going to stick on the side and there's going to be a higher probability that you're going to get an allergy attack because there's more volume that's sticking around the surface area of your nose," said Dr. Gopi.

You can also search based on a location you will be, ahead of travel, or outdoor activities. Then you can take precautionary measures or change plans.

Dr. Gopi says this is a preventive tool to help severe allergy and asthma suffers avoid an emergency room visit from a bad attack.

Bennet watches the weather closely due to her asthma.

She says pollen, humidity and pressure are all triggers for her. On the day Sonucast told her weed pollen was high where she was, she skipped her usual walk outside-and stayed inside to avoid an uncomfortable allergy attack.

The Sonucast app is free-but must be used with apple face ID.

Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.

Jason McCourty Shares How Teal Pumpkin Project Helps Kids With Allergies On Halloween

Halloween is an exciting time -- but it can also be discouraging for children with allergies.

The Teal Pumpkin Project aims to bring the magic back to the spooky holiday in a thrilling but safe way.

According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), one in 13 kids deal with food allergies. With FARE's teal pumpkin initiative, Halloween becomes safer and more inclusive for all.

The process is simple: if there's a teal pumpkin outside a house, that means the host is offering a non-food goodie for its trick-or-treaters. It can be a small toy, a game, stickers or anything else fun for the children to receive.

Former NFL star Jason McCourty is an avid supporter of the initiative, especially since his youngest daughter deals with allergies to foods that often appear in Halloween candy.

"Now that I'm a father and have kids, three of them, my youngest one suffers from severe food allergies," McCourty said in an interview with NBC. "The process of coming home, dumping the candy out and going through it for me as a kid was making sure there was nothing that was opened. And now when my daughter went out, it was completely different because she has a milk, eggs, peanut and tree nut allergy.

"So, now you're going through it and you have to take out everything that she could possibly be allergic to. And then there's other forms of it where there are some kids that you could possibly go trick-or-treating and there's nothing that you can have when it comes to the treats that different families give out when you go door to door."

That's where the Teal Pumpkin Project comes in, so families don't have to go through that process. All you have to do is go to CVS, which is the exclusive retail partner of the initiative and FARE for the third year in a row. CVS is selling a selection of over 60 non-food, allergy-friendly treats both in stores and online. You can also sign up to mark your house as a teal pumpkin participant through CVS here.

"The Teal Pumpkin Project was created and the thought was you put a teal pumpkin out there and those families are giving out non-food treats for kids," McCourty explained. "It could be small toys, anything of that nature so that a kid can come and get something and go home and feel really good about it and not have to have the fear of a parent over your shoulder of making sure it's not something that you're allergic to.

"It hit home for me because I remember my youngest, probably the first time she was old enough to walk around and go door to door, she literally walked right into somebody's living room thinking that it was a proper way to do it when they open the door and not understanding what trick-or-treating was... So, just a peace of mind that it can give a parent to see that there's a family participating and their kid can go out there and get a treat and know that it's not anything that's going to harm them."

Residents are putting out teal pumpkins to help kids with allergies know where they can find treats they can enjoy.

McCourty is a father of three, and even though only his youngest is affected by allergies, all of his children love seeing a teal pumpkin house. Even though they know it won't be candy at the door, the unknown of what the treat could be is extra exciting.

"I think the cool thing is (my kids) are now 11, 8, and 7," McCourty said. "And when you go to a house, whether it's a sign in a window, whether it's the teal pumpkin outside and you see it, the cool part is that it's not just my youngest daughter, Kai, that gets excited, but the two oldest get excited too because it's a little bit of a mystery. You go up and you don't know. You know the threat is not going to be anything food related, but you don't know exactly what it's going to be. So, they can get excited for it as well. And then they still can compare and talk about it."

For parents, learning about what allergies your children may have can be overwhelming. For McCourty, the most important part of that learning process is just being open and honest.

"Have conversations about it," McCourty said when asked about how to approach allergies with kids. "I think that's the biggest thing because you don't know what you don't know. And my youngest one, when she was born and once we discovered what her food allergies are, you start having conversations.

"... It is a relief as a parent when you're walking around, especially from my wife and she sees it, cause she's the one who's always antennas are up. So, it is something that we look forward to of going out. And it's also family time and it's a time to learn because all three of my kids, only one of them suffered from it, but the other two fully understand what all of her allergies are and they understand what she can and can't have and they are not shy to tell her about it."

With Halloween quickly approaching, the McCourtys are ready to go.

Not only will they have the teal pumpkin at their house, but the whole family will be dressed up to celebrate.

"Man, that's a process in the McCourty household," he joked when asked about costumes this year. "My wife is clinging to the thought of family costumes. So, the last probably two to three years, it always starts in an argument because the kids don't want to wear the same themed costume as their parents. But right now we have a Sonic the Hedgehog theme going that we're almost, we need about one more costume to find the right size.

"But we got Sonic, we have Tails, we have Knuckles, Dr. Robotnik. So, we're figuring that out of all the sizes. And then the kids, my wife will let them choose a second costume that they can just be whatever they want to be. I think my son may take the cake -- he's Skibidi Toilet, whatever that term means now. If you have young kids, they come home saying these random words. So, that's what his costume is."

You can find more information about the Teal Pumpkin Project and FARE here.

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