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I might as well say you can't see the plains for the grass, or you can't see the fields and roadsides for the weeds!! As well as, you can't see the kennel for the puppies and kitties. That's because looking at the big picture is important for understanding allergies. When somebody's allergies flare, he/she wonders what's in the air at that time. I hear "something out there" is getting me. True. Allergens (or microscopic proteinaceous molecules) will fuel an allergy fire. "One way or another, they're gonna get ya". But rarely, is it one thing that finds you. Even for the seasonal allergy sufferer, there is usually more than one thing to get him/her.

Our Tucson spring has arrived. Our bone dry desert lapped up the 4 inches of rain in the last few months. Now we have trees, grasses, and weeds flying high again. So which one is making the eyes itch, nose stuff and/or run, or lungs cough and/or wheeze? A pinch of tree pollen, a dash of grass, and a smidgen of weed pollen is a recipe for disaster!! Adding a dog or cat in the home might as well serve as your apperitif, if one is allergic to them.

That is because allergens act together to cause symptoms. For example, if 1000 pollen grains of ragweed are flying in the air, and one is allergic to ragweed, then one will probably feel symptoms. If he/she is also allergic to grass, then grass pollen grains will become cumulative or additive. If there are 500 grass pollen grains in addition to the 1000 ragweed pollen grains, then one may feel even worse. Another typical example is the house with 10 cats. Its likely to make someone sicker, then the house with only one cat. How about 5 cats and 5 dogs? If the person is allergic to both then it could be the same as a house with 10 cats. If a highly animal allergic individual step's into Dr. Doolittle's house, then forget about it and call the paramedics!!

Allergy sufferers are typically allergic to more than one thing. If one suffers from allergies, some studies show a 70% chance they are allergic to ragweed and/or cats. There is about a 30% chance of allergy to dogs as well. Grass, however, is probably the worst pollen allergen.

It is always important for one to identify his/her allergy triggers!! Once one knows, we can "cook up a recipe for relief" that allows one to smell those beautiful desert wildflowers. By the way, those pretty purple lupines blooming right now are unlikely to fuel one's allergies. It is the flowers that one cannot see that emit allergenic pollen.

So remember, the big picture, is usually made up of several pieces to the puzzle. Your allergist can help you see the magic eye in the forest or desert mural!

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