Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Alder Tree Allergies for 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyAlder trees are unassuming trees with various species, such as the white, red, and Italian alder. Unfortunately, if you’re allergic to one species of alder, you’ll likely have reactions to other species as well.
If you have alder allergies, you may find your allergies flaring up in late winter and early spring, but you don’t have to push through allergy season without relief. Wyndly is here to help. With Wyndly, you can get a personalized allergy treatment plan for your allergies.
Schedule a consultation for your allergies today, and read on to learn more about alder allergies.
What Is an Alder Tree Allergy?
As with most airborne allergies, an alder tree allergy can be attributed to your immune system overreacting to the pollen produced by alder trees. The pollen gets into your airways, and your immune system detects a threat, sending out antibodies and releasing chemicals like histamine to take out the threat. This immune response causes common allergy symptoms like sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and itchy eyes.
Common Symptoms
Depending on the individual, seasonal allergies can be a minor annoyance or a significant disruption to your day.
If you have alder tree allergies, you can expect to experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Aggravated symptoms if you have asthma
If the pollen count is high, you can usually expect your symptoms to intensify or become more frequent.
Where Are Alder Trees Found?
Alder trees are widespread throughout North America, though they’re rarer in Nebraska and South Dakota. They’re hardy trees that can deal with a variety of climates. They’re also wind-pollinated, so their pollen can travel for many miles in the air. Even if you don’t live in a location with alder trees in the immediate vicinity, that doesn't mean you won’t be exposed to their pollen.
When Is Alder Pollen Allergy Season?
Depending on the elevation, alder pollen allergy season can start as early as January. Typically, you can expect your alder allergies to act up in the early months of spring, especially in March and April.
Foods to Avoid
Another consideration for alder tree allergies is a condition known as OAS or oral allergy syndrome. Oral allergy syndrome can occur if you eat a food with similar proteins to those found in alder tree pollen. Your immune system may mistake these foods for a harmful substance and respond with an allergic reaction. OAS causes your mouth, lips, or throat to feel itchy or tingly after consuming certain foods.
Here are the foods to watch out for if you have alder tree allergies:
- Celery
- Cherries
- Apples
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Peaches
- Pears
- Parsley
If you have OAS, the symptoms will usually subside soon after eating the food, and the symptoms are typically mild. If you have a more severe allergic reaction to food, such as trouble breathing, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Testing and Diagnosis
When you’re trying to treat and manage your allergies, it helps to know what you’re allergic to. While you can always check to see which plants are producing pollen in your area when your symptoms pop up, it can be hard to determine which one is the source of your allergies. During allergy season, there are various types of pollen in the air, so narrowing it down can be almost impossible. Instead, it’s easier to take an allergy test to remove any doubt. Wyndly makes it extremely convenient to get an allergy test with our at-home testing kit. Order your at-home allergy test from Wyndly today.
Let’s look at how different allergy testing options work.
Old-Fashioned Method: Skin Prick Test at Your Doctor’s Office
Skin prick testing requires you to go to the doctor to find out your allergen triggers. It’s often uncomfortable, and it takes time out of your day. You’ll go to the doctor’s office, and they’ll administer a test where they prick or scrape your skin with a needle tipped with different allergens, and then they’ll observe the areas they pricked for itchiness, redness, or swelling. All in all, it’s not a pleasant experience. Instead, you can save yourself time and pain by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Order Wyndly’s at-home allergy test. We ship our CLIA-certified test straight to your door.
- Take the allergy test and send it back to us. Just do a quick finger prick test to provide us with a blood sample, and mail it back when you’re done.
- Receive your personal allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through your personalized treatment plan.
Unlike self-diagnosis, an allergy test can reveal the full breadth of your allergies. This way you know exactly what you’re allergic to and how you can treat your symptoms.
Treatment and Remedies
While allergy symptoms can affect your quality of life, you don’t have to let them become overwhelming. With the proper remedies or treatments, you can get your alder tree allergies under control.
Limiting Exposure
In general, limiting your exposure to your allergen can be beneficial and reduce the severity of your allergy symptoms. This is easier said than done with airborne allergens like pollen, but there are some measures you can take to keep exposure to a minimum.
There are several methods you may want to try.
- Check the pollen count: During alder tree allergy season, you’ll want to look at the pollen count every day. If the pollen count is high, you may want to stay inside on that day as much as possible. It can be helpful to wear a mask when you do go outside to keep pollen out of your airways.
- Shower or wash your hands and face: If you’ve been outside, a quick shower can rinse the pollen off your skin and hair. If you’re not at home or if you don’t have time to take a shower, washing your hands and face can be a quick alternative.
- Clean the house often: You’ll want to keep the house as clean as possible during allergy season. Primarily, you’ll want to vacuum and dust often to get rid of pollen. A HEPA filter vacuum is best for vacuuming, and a wet rag will be best for dusting.
- Try to avoid morning hours: If you plan on being outside, it’s best to stick to the evening hours if possible. Pollen tends to peak in the morning and early afternoon, with pollen levels diminishing in the evening.
- Close the windows: Pollen can easily get in through open windows, so be sure to keep them closed up during allergy season. It’s best to run your A/C instead — and install a HEPA filter if possible.
- Keep nearby alder trees trimmed: While it won’t get rid of pollen in your area completely, trimming any alder tree branches in your yard can help reduce overall pollen around your home. Trimmed tree branches don’t produce as much pollen.
Medications
Limiting your exposure can be helpful, but when allergy season kicks into full gear, it may not be enough to keep your symptoms at bay. You’ll likely need the support of allergy medications to manage your symptoms.
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Over-the-counter: This is the most common and widely available option. For most individuals, over-the-counter (OTC) allergy meds should be enough to provide temporary relief.
- Antihistamines: Antihistamines work by temporarily blocking histamine production. You can usually find 24-hour options, non-drowsy options, and antihistamines for children.
- Nasal sprays: Nasal sprays can be helpful for individuals with runny or stuffy nose syndromes. They work by reducing the swelling and inflammation in the nasal passages.
- Eye drops: Eye drops help by flushing pollen out of your eyes, relieving itchiness and redness.
- Prescription: If you’re not finding any relief from OTC options, you may want to consider prescription options as a last resort. You’ll need to talk to your doctor about prescription allergy medications.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
Limiting your exposure and taking allergy medications are short-term solutions for allergies. If you want to treat your allergies and find long-term symptom relief, you may want to consider sublingual immunotherapy. Sublingual immunotherapy uses drops or tablets administered under your tongue to introduce small doses of your allergen to your immune system. This gradually teaches your immune system to tolerate or ignore these harmless substances instead of causing an immune response. Unlike allergy shots, sublingual immunotherapy doesn’t require needles or doctor visits.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
If you’re ready to find lifelong relief from your alder tree allergy symptoms, Wyndly is ready to help. Our doctors will create a personalized treatment plan based on your allergy profile. If you’re a candidate, we can also send sublingual immunotherapy drops right to your door. Get started on your journey to allergy relief with an allergy consultation with Wyndly.
Schedule your allergy consultation today!
Alder Tree Allergy FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions about alder allergies.
Can alder allergies be deadly?
It’s very rare for tree allergies to be fatal. However, if you have asthma, you may want to carry an inhaler during allergy season, as alder pollen can possibly trigger an asthma attack.
Can I just get rid of alder trees from my yard?
Getting rid of alder trees from your yard entirely would be a difficult endeavor. Plus, the wind-borne pollen from other trees could still reach your home. If you do want to reduce the overall pollen levels around your house, you could trim the alder branches.
When will alder pollen be the worst?
Alder pollen production will usually start in spring, but some species start in winter. Alder pollen season can begin as early as January in some areas and start in March in others. Typically, it peaks in April.
