Big Culprit For Allergies? Evidence Points To Global Change

If you have respiratory allergies, you have an environmental problem: There’s something in the air that makes you sniffle, sneeze, stuff up or wheeze.

And growing evidence suggests your problem may be linked with the biggest environmental problem of all: global climate change.

That may be especially true for pollen sufferers. Tree, grasses and weeds (including the ragweed [ragweed allergy] tormenting many people right now) churn out more pollen over more weeks when temperatures and carbon dioxide levels rise, says Richard Weber, a Denver allergist.

Weber and colleagues from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology suggest people with allergies and asthma have a special stake in slowing climate change: Drive less and use energy-efficient appliances and lighting, they write, and you just might help yourself and the planet.

‘Environment Matters’

Sadly, though, screwing in a few compact fluorescent bulbs will do nothing to clear up the stuffy nose you have today. For that, many sufferers turn to drugs.

But there’s another way to reduce symptoms. Once again, it’s all about changing the environment — in your home.

Read more at ABCNews