Get a jump on ragweed

It’s almost ragweed season, so if you’re allergic, you’ll need to start taking precautions.

You could move, temporarily, to Ragweed-Free Town in the state of Euphoria. Or you could hold your breath for a few months. (Remember to consult your physician before taking any unsolicited advice.)

The first ragweed pollen showed up Monday in the pollen-counting station on the roof of Dr. Linda Ford's Papillion office.

“It's a very small amount,” said Ford, an allergist. “It's just a harbinger of things to come.”

By mid-August, she said, most people who are allergic to ragweed pollen “will be miserable.” The peak for ragweed, she said, should be around Labor Day.

Ford suggests that people who use antihistamines such as Claritin (loratadine), Zyrtec (cetirizine) or their generic equivalents start taking them every day “to block those histamine receptors before you start having the problems.”

Those problems, in case you didn't know, include sneezing; itchy eyes, nose, ears and throat; watery eyes; a runny nose; and congestion.

Decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine, shrink the swollen blood vessels in the nose and decrease congestion, Ford said.

Higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are causing ragweed to thrive, Ford said, citing research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Not only were the ragweed plants larger, they produced more pollen,” she said.

Lewis Ziska, a USDA researcher who has looked at CO2's role in plant biology, said studies now under way are trying to determine whether the ragweed season has gotten longer and the peaks in pollen counts higher.

Ford said ragweed has shown up in area pollen counts into the fourth week of October.

So take a deep breath. Halloween's a long way off.

Contact the writer: 444-1109, bob.glissmann@owh.com