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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 27, 2004 Since you asked Web site offers pollen counts Is there any place I can call to find out what allergens are in the air? When I get hay fever, I don’t know if I should close up the house to keep out pollen or clean it to get rid of dust. I really don’t want to clean house if it isn’t necessary. — Liz N., Medford Nobody can blame you for wanting to avoid house cleaning, Liz, but it seems to us that you need to rethink your strategy for dealing with seasonal allergies. You say you’re troubled by "hay fever," but that’s a vague term that can mean almost anything. Have you ever been tested to see what might actually trigger your symptoms? Some people are allergic to house dust or animal dander. Others get a sore throat or itchy eyes from unlikely things such as the pollen from cedar trees. Then there are those unfortunates who are sensitive to the droppings of dust mites, those microscopic critters that feed on the dead skin we all shed. Allergies can be difficult and expensive to identify, as anyone who has ever tried to treat them can tell you. To make matters worse, there’s another whole class of ailments known as "non- allergic rhinitis" with symptoms that mimic allergies, but can’t be traced to specific allergens. Without knowing what you’re really allergic to, it’s hard to decide what you can do to minimize your misery. If you’re allergic to outdoor pollens, for example, you could stay indoors to minimize your exposure. But if you’re allergic to dust mites, staying indoors won’t help a bit. There’s a Web site at www.pollen.com that provides pollen counts for a number of Oregon cities. You might want to take its information with a grain of salt. On a recent day the site posted nearly identical pollen counts for Medford, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, Bend and Brookings. Good luck, Liz. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times