Sunshine Sentinel

• The 26th annual Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill will take place in Washington, D.C., on May 3.
• People with allergies and asthma will have the opportunity to meet with lawmakers.
• The event is free, but registration is required.

The Allergy & Asthma Network announced that those who suffer from allergies and asthma can partake in the 26th annual Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill (AACDH) event on May 3, where they can ask lawmakers to support health-focused legislation, share their personal stories and experiences, and learn about the latest related research and what it could mean for public health policy.

The schedule for the event includes an advocacy training session and breakfast, in-person advocacy meetings with Congress members and their staff, and a lunch briefing with members of the Congressional Asthma & Allergy Caucus, for which allergists and federal agency representatives will both take part. While no entry fee is required, attendees must register beforehand.

Dr. Cody Aull of West Palm Beach Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers discussed how allergy sufferers can choose from multiple treatment options, depending on what would work best for them.

"As far as allergy drops or shots go, it takes an extended period of time for you to get a complete resolution of your allergies," Aull told the Sunshine Sentinel. "The knee-jerk reaction should be three years. If your immune system isn't great, it could go up to five years. But just because there's a time investment, it shouldn't be arduous, as far as the amount of work you have to go through. There isn't necessarily a huge time commitment with allergy shots, depending on the patient's comfort level and experience. They can always come in as needed to get the drops or shots. There are so many different courses we can use to get to where we need to be with the patient."

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, over 50 million American experience allergies each year, with allergies also being the sixth-most-common cause of chronic illness in the U.S. Allergic rhinitis, which is also known as hay fever, can either be seasonal or perennial, and symptoms include sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes and an itchy nose, mouth or eyes.

MBG Health said that allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes can be caused by inflammation, which is caused by the body working to protect itself against allergens. When a person is exposed to an allergen, the body's natural stress response is to secrete hormones like cortisol and chemicals like histamine, although research has shown that such secretions can cause inflammation, which can possibly make both allergy symptoms and asthma more severe.

If you're interested in learning more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.