Science Friday - Climate Change Has Made Allergy Season Worse. How Do We Cope?

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

In many parts of the United States, spring has sprung. There’s nothing quite like those first few beautiful days of spring. They’re delightful—until the sneezing starts.According to the CDC, a quarter of US adults deal with seasonal allergies. And if you think they’re getting worse, it’s not just in your head. Previous research has shown that climate change is making pollen seasons start earlier and become more intense, a problem that’s expected to get worse.Joining Host Ira Flatow to discuss the science behind seasonal allergies, and the best methods for treating them, is Dr. Neeta Ogden, director of the Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center in Edison, New Jersey.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

This is Science Friday. I'm Ira Plato with Flora Lickman. Spring has sprung in many parts of the country. Those first buds bursting, flowers opening. They're all welcome signs of this season, right? Absolutely. Well, not if you have, listen to my voice, Flora. Not if you have allergies. I can tell you, this, it's the endless sneezing, the watery eyes, the running noses. You get the picture. Just you can hear it. You can hear it. Well, if misery loves company, you're not alone because according to the CDC, a quarter of U.S. adults deal with seasonal allergies. And if you think they're getting worse, it's not just in your stuffed head because climate change. Climate change does play a big role. Joining me to talk about the science of seasonal allergies is my guest, Dr. Nita Ogden, director of the allergy, asthma and sinus center in Edison, New Jersey. She's right here with us in the studios.

Welcome to Science Friday. Thank you for having me. So it's allergy season. Our allergies on the rise. Very much so. This is a trend that, you know, it's been ongoing. We're talking about it a lot now because climate change is very much a topic in the news and the headlines for many reasons. But this has been ongoing for, I'd say, the last two decades, where we are seeing rising pollen counts, worsening seasons.

And yes, climate change is figuring into it. because why? warmer temperatures, higher carbon dioxide levels. These are really the ideal and climate associated with more moisture. These are the ideal elements leading to robust plant growth, which then in turn leads to soaring pollen counts. Yeah, and the season starts earlier. Yes, we're seeing season starts earlier. Actually, recent studies are showing that they start almost three weeks earlier. So there have been, you know, stories that I've done where people, especially in the southeast, the season starting in late February. Wow.

Yeah. It's crazy. I've known over the years from my allergies that there seem to be certain plants that I'm allergic to more than others, right? Definitely. The spring season, especially in early spring, it's trees. Trees are causing those really intense, itchy eyes and really intense spring season symptoms. That's followed by later spring by grass. and that goes from about May, mid-May into June.

And then come late summer, we're talking about ragweed into early fall. So there definitely are certain plants. And, you know, if you really make the effort and start realizing that you're allergic to springtime pollen, you might see an allergist and get tested who can then actually share, you know, which trees are a problem for you. Right. Let's go to the phones. Let's go to Lucy in Cleveland. Hi, Lucy.

Welcome to Science Friday. Hey, Ira, thank you. Listen, I can tell you that they do still do those scratch tests because I had one done two years ago. And the doctor came back in the room 15 minutes after she put the grass mix on my back, and she said, wow, you are super allergic to the grass mix. So I wanted to share for your listeners that because I choose not to use over-the-counter or prescription medication, there is a natural substance.

is called Quercetin, and it's spelled Q-U-E-R-E-C-I-T. I'm not sure if I'm spelling it correctly. It's a natural over-the-counter supplement that I take. If you have blood pressure issues, I don't think you can take it, but it's very effective. I also want to share that we had a pet for almost 18 years who had severe grass and other allergies. We had him tested, and once his blood test came back is severely allergic, we put him on immunotherapy drop. that worked for him really, really well for 10 years. Let me get a reaction to Dr. Ogden.

Yeah, there are studies that show that quercetin, which I believe is related to turmeric, is an anti-inflammatory and can be helpful with allergies. And in my experience, as a physician, I see that as an adjuvant therapy that can help people who are already potentially on medications or immunotherapy. So that's one way that certainly.

And then the drops you're talking about are something that are being used in the treatment of allergies. And they're not FDA-approved, but they're definitely out there. Yeah. Okay. Let's go back to the phones. Eden in Manhattan. Hi. Welcome to Science Friday.

Hi. Hi there. Yeah, go ahead. Okay. Well, just kind of following up on your last guest, and then this one is, well, Ira, by the way, I love you, never called. but I was just wondering about the seasonal allergies things because I grew up in the country and I was exposed to everything, you know, and your last guest was talking about exposure therapy, and I still do get seasonal allergies and also dust. And I did take one of those tests, you know, when I was an adult, and I did come up positive for dust, Mike. Is it mites? That's what I'm asking.

It is dust mite. Is it the mites or is it the dust? It's dust mite is typically what it's the allergen is dust mite. Hmm. You know, I had a lot of allergies. I said my listeners, though. When I was a kid, I was allergic to pollen, grasses, and weeds. I couldn't sit in the grass. And I would just that night, but I grew out of it. Is that common? Yes, that can happen for sure. In fact, we see, especially with like allergic asthma, we can see a bimodal thing. where you have it in your childhood, it goes away, and then it comes back in your early adulthood,

maybe your 30s. But if they've gone away completely, that's great for you. I often see it return in adulthood, especially with these intense seasons. It ends up being an issue again. Can you microdose for seasonal allergies? So the way we actually do it is called not microdosing, but immunotherapy. And so the main way that, you know, we've traditionally done is through allergy shots. Me. Looking at me. I had them for years when I was a TV.

Oh, I should have asked you that because that typically ends up with the scenario where people are kind of essentially cured of their allergies. So allergy shots, if you can stick with them, they can take three to five years, you know, of week, you know, monthly, weekly than monthly appointments. But that's a form of microdosing where we're taking. you know, increasing amounts of the allergen and injecting it so that the immune system begins to tolerate it. Yeah. Yeah. You've done some research on one of my favorite topics, the microbiome.

Mm-hmm. And probiotics are possible treatments? Again, you know, like similar to the caller, probiotics, without a doubt, we know the gut microbiome has a very big role in our immune system, especially in infancy and creating communicating with T cells and, you know, our immune system as it matures to tolerate things, to regulate the immune response so that it's not overreactive. And so probiotics have come in in that way to see if they can help, you know, how we respond to allergens. And it has shown promise, especially for an allergic condition in children, atopic dermatitis or eczema.

But in terms of seasonal allergies, it's got potential. And, you know, but no studies have sort of definitively say, yeah, take it. So again, it might be something that's helpful just about maintaining, you know, a good environment in the gut microbiome. We have to take a quick break, but don't go away. More on this when we come back. They're trying to guess at what's going to make them feel better, and so they can make things worse.

What do you see is the biggest common mistake people make? I think people make the mistake of sort of waiting too long to take care of their allergies. Preparation is so key, especially now when, seasons are starting earlier because of climate change. So if you are known allergies suffer, having your medications, especially if you have allergic asthma, checking in with your doctor so that your inhalers, for example, are not expired. And being ready and taking these medicines, even before the season starts, can be extremely helpful because once that season hits one, and we're really headed towards that in New York because it's been these kind of like

wet, cold days with that sunny hot day, it will start, and it can create a vicious cycle that can be hard to reverse, that can take stronger medications if you're not prepared. All right. Let's try to go to Vermont and Marlborough. Andy, hi, welcome to Science Friday. Hi, there. How are you? Fine. Go ahead. Good. So I have an interesting history with allergies.

When I was a teenager, I had really bad allergies for ragweed and all. kinds of things. I would go away for the weekend and just be miserable in the country. When I was 28 years old, I was in an antique rug store and I got a horrible asthma attack. And ever since that asthma attack, I have never had any issue with any, any allergy. I am literally allergy-free. Can you tell us where that store was? We don't like to go there. Peter, Peter, Peter, Peter, Peter, Peter. But, you know, my asthma has become so mild, it's almost a non-issue. So I would take that trade every day of the weekend.

I'm just curious, is there any medical explanation for that? Could it be a coincidence of just? Yeah, I mean, honestly, I feel like you should count yourself as a lucky one. This isn't very common. And so, you know, without taking a longer history, did you move or, you know, you know, know, maybe out of an environment that has the, the allergens to which you were very allergic, could that have, that might have played an issue. Otherwise, you know, this is kind of a unique scenario. Can you make your allergies worse by using the wrong medication? I'm asking because

I feel like I live on vizine. It's like an ivy drip for me during allergy season. Yeah. Oh, my God. You're cringing. Right. Right. And I'm so glad you asked that because what I end up seeing in my office often is, you know, people who are navigating the massive allergy aisles in the pharmacy that are full of medications that have multiple ingredients and they're they're trying to guess at what's going to make them feel better and so they can make things worse. And vizene is one of those things that I do end of feeling as a culprit there because it's really not treating the ocular allergy and what's the problem with it? Yeah. I mean it's more that it's like taking the right out exactly what it says. But, you know, with overuse, it can cause rebound symptoms.

You know, so it's never really effectively going to treat the source. Yeah, but there are so many antihistamins. Right. Are there good ones and bad ones? I really believe, like, you know, the literature shows us that these newer antihistamines are called second generation antihistamines because they have, you know, fewer side effects than kind of the old school things. Those are the best place to start.

And the generics and... Do they have a name? Yeah. Allegra, which is Vexofenity. Zyrotech, desloradidine, and Zizel. These are new generations, you see. They work differently. They've been around for a long time. They're a little different from like Benadryl, which everyone seems to reach for. And I do it when I go to sleep. Right. That's the thing. It has that. And it also, you know, it lasts four to six hours. These last for 24 hours. And then intranasal

steroids sprays. That's another cornerstone of treating seasonal allergies like the nasoenax, nasal cord, flonase. And finally, the right eye. drops. So these are drops that have an anihistamine. Don't go away more on this when we come back. That's sort of the holy grail of food allergy. He's trying to get rid of it completely. I'm writing them down. Let's go to the phones. Let's go to Laura in South Dakota. Hi, Laura. Are you there? Hi. I, yes. Can you hear me? Yeah, go ahead.

I am wondering about actually about microdosing and with EOE. I have a child that has EOE and a sesame allergy, and I'm wondering about microdosing with an EOE. Can you tell us what an EOE is, doctor? Yeah, eosanophilic esophagitis. And honestly, I don't, you know, the word microdosing, it's, it doesn't really, you know, I feel like it might fall into things that people are trying at home, and I don't know if that's what you're talking about. I think EOE...

No, I'm talking about more like in a clinic setting. Oh, okay. It goes into Cessini. Oh, okay. So like immunotherapy, which would be, you know, giving smaller doses of sesame. I don't know that there isn't a protocol for sesame that might be widely used. I think in certain academic and clinical settings, it is something that you would find. So I would definitely speak to your allergist about it, which you probably already have.

And with EOE, I know that the biologic like Dupilomad has actually been recently shown to be helpful as well. All right. Let's go to another call. Queens, New York. Susan and Queens, welcome to Science Friday. Hi, Ira. Hi, Flora. Hi, there. So I'm interested in knowing or I've read studies where they've shown that Amish children have fewer dairy allergies, environmental type allergies, which I think is related to the fact that they milk cows, they play in hay. And I've noticed that, like even my young grandchildren,

nobody plays really outside in the dirt anymore. I think this is, yeah. And I just want to comment that I think that maybe that has something to do with this rise in all kinds of environmental allergies. All right, Susan, let's get an answer. You're touching upon, you know, a pretty hot topic in allergy, which is called the hygiene hypothesis, which very much speaks to exactly what you're talking about, that people on farms or even in underdeveloped countries who, you know,

maybe don't have this hyper-clean environment with the antibacterial soaps and like, you know, all the vaccine schedules that we were following, which is actually helpful, I'm not putting that down. But there are things that have led toward a shift in more industrialized, westernized countries where we aren't playing with mud or having exposure to, like you said, farm animals, that actually there's some thinking, build up the immune system away from the allergic arm. So it is something that, you know, if you've seen it, there's thought that that is part of the reason why there's an increase in allergy, especially in these countries. Well, I want to thank you, Dr. Ogden, for taking time to be with us today.

Thank you so much for having me. Fascinating stuff, Dr. Anita Ogden, Director of the Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Center in Edison, New Jersey. That's about all the time we have. For now, a lot of people help make this show happen. D. Petersman. Felissa Mayers. Emma Gomez.

Jackie Hirschfeld. I'm Ira Flato. Thanks for listening.