Got the “fever?”
The Sustainability Committee welcomes new and old members to its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 12:20 p.m. in lower level Gallagher Center, Room 110, to discuss hot topics in sustainability and how members of the NU community can become involved.
Do you have school fever? The start of the school year may signal the start of a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, itchy watery eyes, headaches, and trouble breathing and sleeping. No, it is not school per se but for some the start of allergy season, more directly “hay fever” has begun in earnest a few weeks ago. Yes there is a true hay fever to grass pollen, typically much earlier in the summer during haying season. Hay fever is probably a misnomer for those suffering from fall allergies to pollen, because the major players are goldenrod and ragweed. These two fall blooming plants are producers of prodigious amounts of pollen that they freely release into the wind. In fact ragweed is the typical culprit although many are unfamiliar with this plant.
Allergic rhinitis is the medical term used to describe the symptoms described above. Diagnosis can be made by medical personnel by using specific substances and observing the reaction. Temporary treatment may include antihistamines, pseudoephedrine or in extreme cases steroids. Immunotherapy (allergy shots) may be effective to de-sensitize one to a particular allergen.
Take pleasure in knowing that this allergy season is brief, and once fall comes and we suffer from a hard frost there will be no more pollen problems.
Sustainably yours, Mark Gallo and Dan McMann, co-chairs of the Sustainability Committee.