Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Michigan Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyMichigan is known for its Great Lakes coastlines, forests, and the city of Detroit. Michigan is also a state that isn’t too miserable for allergy sufferers. While Michigan has its fair share of pollen allergies, there is a nice break thanks to the cold winters. Overall, there are worse places to live if you have seasonal allergies.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Michigan is devoid of seasonal allergies. There are still plenty of residents who have to deal with allergy symptoms. If you’re looking for long-term relief from your Michigan allergies, let Wyndly help.
Wyndly’s doctors can provide a personalized treatment plan for your specific Michigan allergies. Schedule your consultation today, and read on to learn more about Michigan’s allergy season.
When Is Michigan Allergy Season?
Michigan’s allergy season is fairly typical, if not a bit shorter than other nearby states. The cold winters can provide a slightly longer respite from allergies. Expect allergy season in Michigan to start around March and go until the first hard freeze of winter, usually in early November.
Allergens by Season
Seasonal allergies will still be a problem in summer, spring, and fall. Let’s look at some of the common allergies for each season.
Summer
Summer is when grass allergies will be at their worst in Michigan. Some common grass allergy triggers include fescue, ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, prairie, orchard, and bent. This season usually starts in May and ends in late July.
Fall
Weed allergies are the main offender in the fall. Michigan weed allergies are often from ragweed, kochia, marsh elder, wormwood, amaranth, orache, and sagebrush. This season begins in mid-August and ends after winter’s first hard freeze.
Winter
Cold winters in Michigan provide months of respite from seasonal allergies. However, indoor allergens like mold and dust can still cause issues.
Spring
Spring is tree allergy season. Allergies this season will typically be from hickory, ash, oak, walnut, cedar, willow, and mulberry trees. Spring tree allergies usually pick up in March and end by late May.
Common Allergens
If you live in Michigan, you can expect seasonal allergies from spring to fall. These allergies usually stem from tree, weed, and grass pollen. Indoor allergens, such as mold, pet dander, and dust mites, can also cause problems all year.
Common Symptoms
Michigan residents can expect the following allergy symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Hives
- Aggravated asthma symptoms
As always, reactions will vary from person to person, but in general, allergies will cause one or more of these symptoms to occur.
Allergens Around the State
Depending on what part of Michigan you live in, you may experience different allergies than in other areas. Let’s take a look at some of the different allergies by region.
Detroit/Grand Rapids/Ann Arbor/Lansing/Flint
In the Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Flint areas, allergies start in spring with hickory, ash, oak, maple, cedar, willow, mulberry, and walnut tree pollen. Summer grass allergy triggers include ryegrass and Bermuda, bent, timothy, orchard, fescue, and brome grasses. Fall weed allergens include marsh elder, ragweed, wormwood, sagebrush, and amaranth.
Traverse City/Cadillac/Petoskey
The Traverse City, Cadillac, and Petoskey areas have spring tree allergies from ash, oak, maple, and willow trees. Summer grass allergies are often from ryegrass and bent, timothy, and orchard grasses. Fall weed allergens include ragweed and wormwood.
Marquette/Escanaba/Isle Royale National Park
The Marquette, Escanaba, and Isle Royale National Park areas experience spring tree allergies from oak, maple, willow, and ash trees. Summer grass allergies are often caused by ryegrass and bent, timothy, brome, and fescue grasses. Fall weed allergens include ragweed and wormwood.
Testing and Diagnosis
It can be almost impossible to determine the exact source of your allergies through self-diagnosis. There are a variety of different types of pollen, and allergy seasons can often overlap. That’s not even mentioning the plethora of indoor allergens to consider. Instead of guessing what your allergy profile might be, you can find out with allergy testing. Allergy testing used to be a hassle, but Wyndly makes it easy with our at-home allergy tests. Our tests are pain-free and can be delivered straight to your door. Buy your at-home allergy test from Wyndly today.
Let’s explore 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.
Treatment and Remedies
You don’t have to suffer through allergy symptoms all season. Instead, you can try one of the various remedies and treatments available for allergy sufferers. Let’s take a look at some of these options.
Limiting Exposure
Limiting your exposure is a good first step if you’re wanting to manage allergies. There are various methods to keep your allergen exposure to a minimum.
- Look at the daily pollen count: Check a weather app or website to find out the pollen count in your area. If the pollen count is high, try to stay inside as much as you can.
- Wear a mask: Wearing a mask can help keep pollen out of your airways. Wearing sunglasses and a hat can also help to keep pollen out of your eyes.
- Close your windows: As tempting as it might be to keep your windows open on a nice day, it’s better to close your windows and run your A/C during allergy season.
- Install a HEPA filter: A HEPA filter is useful for keeping pollen out of your home.
- Clean the house well: Regularly vacuum with a HEPA filter vacuum and dust with a wet rag during allergy season. This can help keep pollen levels down in your home.
- Go outside in the evening: Pollen levels typically peak in the morning and afternoon. Stick to the evening hours if you’re planning on spending some time outside during allergy season.
- Shower and do laundry more: Make sure to shower and do laundry more frequently during allergy season. It helps to keep pollen off your person and your clothes.
- Remove shoes: Remember to take your shoes off when you get home so you don’t track pollen in.
Medications
It’s certainly helpful to limit your exposure, but that might not provide you with enough relief. Allergy medications are an effective next step for symptom management. There are various over-the-counter options such as antihistamines, nasal sprays, and eye drops that can help you find short-term relief from common allergy symptoms.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
Managing symptoms is fine for short-term allergy relief, but if you want long-term relief from your allergies, you’ll need to try allergy treatment. Sublingual immunotherapy is an allergy treatment that uses under-the-tongue drops or tablets to introduce small doses of an allergen to your immune system. This teaches your immune system to ignore or tolerate the allergen instead of triggering an allergic reaction. Sublingual immunotherapy can be taken at home and is painless — unlike allergy shots, which require doctor visits and needles for each dose.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
When you’re ready to be rid of your Michigan allergies for good, choose Wyndly. Wyndly’s doctors can provide you with a personalized treatment plan to bring you allergy symptom relief for life.
Schedule your Wyndly allergy consultation today.
Michigan Allergy FAQs
We have answers to some frequently asked questions about Michigan allergies.
How long is Michigan’s allergy season?
Michigan allergy season lasts from early spring to fall.
Is allergy season bad in Michigan?
Michigan is relatively moderate for allergies.
Is Michigan a good state if you have allergies?
Michigan has similar allergy problems as nearby Midwestern states, and the cold winters ensure a decent respite.
When is the Michigan allergy season?
Michigan allergy season begins in early March and ends after winter’s first hard freeze.
What are the worst months?
The worst months are May, June, and September.
