Summer Grass Pollen

June 5, 2024

By Dr. Ben Gaudin, II

School is out and summer has begun. Summertime brings the return of rapidly growing grass. Grass pollens in Louisiana peak during May and June. In February, grass pollenates and continues to do so until the first frost in the fall. Of course this means the return of grass pollen and frequent grass mowing. For the allergic person this means increased sinus allergy symptoms.

If you are like me and are outside this summer grilling and swimming, grass pollen can be bothersome to enjoying precious time outdoors. Grass pollen can also affect allergy sufferers who are out at the ballpark or children at camp this summer.

Managing respiratory allergy involves 3 key steps:

Avoiding allergy triggers as able.
Allergy medications.
Allergy shots.

Trigger Avoidance

Although it is impossible to avoid pollen completely, here are some steps to help decrease exposure to this common allergen:

Wearing a mask when mowing the grass.
Keep windows closed in your home and automobile.
Change clothes and shower after being outside to remove any pollen attached to your hair, body and clothing.
Bathe any pets that have spent time outside. Fur traps outdoor pollen, carrying it into your home.
Monitor local pollen counts and avoid outdoor activities on days with higher levels of pollen.

Medications

Medication options include:

Antihistamine pills to help with sneeze, runny nose, itchy nose and itchy eyes.
Antihistamine nasal sprays to help with similar symptoms.
Steroid nasal sprays to help treat nasal congestion.

Many of these medications are now available over-the-counter.

Allergy Shots

An excellent, long-term treatment option involves allergy shots, which are a useful intervention for anyone whose allergy symptoms are not controlled with medications or who are tired of requiring daily medications to control symptoms. These small injections help your immune system buildup a resistance to your triggers, slowly turning off your allergic response. This effective therapy can lead to a reduction in allergy symptoms, allowing less need for medications.

Schedule an appointment with us today to seek expert care for, not only your grass pollen allergy, but all your allergy triggers in-between!

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Mail-in Allergy Testing

By Dr. Nicholas Cline • May 27, 2026

If you spend any time browsing the internet or social media, you’ve likely seen advertisements for mail-in allergy kits. They promise to test for hundreds of food intolerances and environmental sensitivities using just a few strands of your hair or a quick saliva swab. It sounds incredibly convenient, painless, and comprehensive. But if it sounds like a gimmick, it probably is. While these mail-in tests are heavily marketed, they often lack scientific backing and can leave patients feeling more confused than comforted. The Science of Allergy Testing. What Are We Looking For? To understand why hair and saliva tests don't work, we have to look at how the immune system reacts to allergens. When you have a true allergy, your body produces a very specific type of antibody called IgE (Immunoglobulin E) . These antibodies bind to mast cells (allergy cells), which are on high alert to protect you from perceived invaders like pollen, dust mites, or specific food proteins. The fundamental flaw with mail-in hair and saliva kits comes down to basic biology: Wrong Locations: Mast cells and IgE antibodies are not traditionally found in your hair follicles or saliva. Unreliable Results: Because these testing methods are looking in the wrong place, they are highly unstandardized and unvalidated. You are highly likely to get a flood of false positives or false negatives that are impossible to interpret accurately. What the Experts Say: Major medical organizations strongly advise against these methods. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) explicitly recommends against using hair analysis for food allergy evaluations due to a lack of diagnostic value. Furthermore, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) have issued strong practice guidelines stating that hair analysis should not be used to evaluate food allergies. The Big Misconception: IgE vs. IgG Many mail-in companies charge anywhere from $150 to upwards of $600 for "sensitivity" panels. When patients produce these multi-page reports, the testing is almost always checking for IgG (Immunoglobulin G) antibodies, not IgE. There is a massive difference between the two: