Chatelaine_April_May_2019

56 CHATELAINE • APRIL/MAY 1019

“What we’ve seen in the past 10 years is a lengthening of the

pollen seasons and an increase in the intensity of the pollen in

the air,” says Daniel Coates, director of marketing and business

development at Aerobiology Research Laboratories, a company

that monitors and forecasts pollen and spore levels across

Canada. “Now we’re seeing seasons starting anywhere from a

week to four weeks earlier and potentially lasting longer.”

Data from Aerobiology shows the extension of pollen seasons

between 2006 and 2017: In Vancouver, the birch season was

140  days longer; in Winnipeg, the maple season added 30 days;

and, in Saint John, N.B., the grass season grew by 24 days.

The weather can also delay the allergy season or cut it short,

but that’s not necessarily a good thing either, as plants can make

up for lost time by unloading more pollen, leading to heightened

symptoms for allergy sufferers, including asthma attacks.

“As the concentration of pollen gets higher, the types of

symptoms people have may change from nasal congestion and

watery eyes to asthma-like symptoms—wheezing, coughing and

shortness of breath,” says Harold Kim, an allergist in Kitchener,

Ont., and president of the Canadian Society of Allergy and

Clinical Immunology.

And just like ticks and mosquitoes, different plants are prop-

agating in new regions of the country, exposing people to aller-

gens they haven’t previously experienced. Ragweed, for

instance, was typically only seen in the eastern part of Canada

but is now showing up in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Find out just what you’re allergic to by getting tested and figur-

ing out when those allergens are in the air. The Aerobiology

Allergy Sufferers app provides personalized pollen forecasts

up to three days in advance so you can plan when to have a pic-

nic and when to stay inside. Keeping your windows shut and

showering after being outside also helps. A HEPA air filter may

decrease the allergens in your home, but Kim says there’s no

proof your symptoms will improve.

If your allergies are acting up, antihistamines typically start

working within hours and prescription nasal sprays within a week

or two. Kim advises people to avoid sedating antihistamines

(because they interfere with daily life) and over-the-counter nasal

decongestants (which can cause a condition known as rebound

congestion and make symptoms worse).

If you want a more permanent solution, immunotherapy might

be an option. Injections expose you to the allergen in gradually

increasing doses to build up a tolerance and are typically given

at your doctor’s office once a week for about six months, fol-

lowed by monthly shots for three to five years. You can also try

tablets, which dissolve under your tongue and need to be taken

daily, starting 12 weeks prior to the season through to the very

end. “The shots and tablets don’t just treat the symptoms—

they change your body’s response to the allergens,” Kim says,

adding that 70 to 80 percent of people get significantly better

with immunotherapy.

After Mawson and her family fled the fires near their home,

they drove about 250 kilometres north and checked in with

the Canadian Red Cross before staying with friends on their

ranch. It wasn’t long though before the smoke followed them

there. They had to spend most of their time inside, asthma

puffers within reach.

When the evacuation order was finally lifted two and a half

weeks later, they headed home. Mawson couldn’t help but cry

as she drove by army personnel and signs welcoming back evac-

uees—she was moved by how everyone had come together to

protect her community.

They were home and they were safe, but they weren’t in the

clear. The smoke stuck around all summer, so Mawson kept

the kids inside with the air filters running: no lake, no park, no

trampoline. Last year wasn’t much better—they didn’t have to

evacuate, but smoke from nearby fires forced them inside.

Mawson now needs to use a puffer every day. She was also diag-

nosed with high blood pressure, which she attributes to the

lack of clean air and the stress it caused, and suffers from mild

post-traumatic stress disorder. “The sight of smoke actually

causes a physiological reaction in my body of total anxiety,”

she says. “When I hear a helicopter going over my house, my

first thought is, ‘Where’s the fire?’”

Mawson is doing what she can to protect her family but

believes more government action is needed to support individ-

ual efforts. Howard agrees. “The most important individual

action anybody could take is to vote for politicians who take cli-

mate change seriously as a health risk,” says Howard. “If we

can’t mitigate it now, we’re heading to a place our children

can’t adapt to. Talk to your friends and family. The more we

talk about it, the more we’re going to come up with solutions

that will help keep everybody safe and healthy. We’re all in this

situation, but we’re all in it together.”