The Beauty of Spring is a Burden to Many

By Morgan Fletcher –

Yep, it’s that time of year again.

Sniffles and sneezes will be heard throughout the school as allergy season plagues many at Penn Manor.

Spring is not the most pleasant time of year for allergy sufferers, but there are easy ways to find relief and bear through the harsh first months of Spring.

School nurses evaluate students’ symptoms and have general information that they can share with someone who has allergies.

“The student needs to be prepared – bring lots of tissues, drink lots of fluids, and take medications at home if their physician has recommended that they do so,” said Penn Manor school nurse Anne Butterfield.

“We can notify a parent and ask that medication be brought in to help control severe symptoms,” she added.

April and May are the height of the tree pollen season, and May and June are the height of the grass pollens.

Allergy season provokes a lot of uncomfortableness to its victims.  The overall quality of life is affected for sufferers with the most severe cases as the simplest activities become hard and annoying tasks to bare.

Sleeping can become a pain during the peak allergy period as well as sports activities since athletes are outside for an extended period of time and are overexposed to the allergens.

Symptoms of seasonal allergies include congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea (runny nose) and itchy, watery eyes.  It is important to distinguish the difference between the common cold and seasonal allergies as many of the symptoms are similar.

To alleviate symptoms, sufferers can take control of environmental systems.  Windows should be kept closed, laundry should not be hung outside and showers should be taken every evening so that allergens trapped in hair are thoroughly rinsed out.

Complications of allergies include sinusitis, asthma , conjunctivitis (inflammation of the membrane lining the eyelids) and otitis (inflammation of the ear).

In the coming months, when students and faculty at Penn Manor appear to be groggy and teachers seem to go through a box of tissues in half-a-day, it will be evident that allergy season has struck, but it’s reassuring to know that it will all soon be over.