As we move into cold and rainy winter months, doctors are warning of several sicknesses and symptoms already going around western Washington.
They say some of those symptoms may currently pose as being sick, but they are not contagious and are easily fixed.
University of Washington Allergist Stacey Ma tells us if you are currently one of the Washingtonians dealing with a runny nose and a cough, don’t immediately assume you need to load up on the cold medicine.
“Right now, the pollen counts, they’re not too high, but people can have nonallergic rhinitus symptoms that look just like an allergy that can be runny nose most commonly,” Ma said. ”That’s something that happens with temperature or humidity changes.”
She said what you may be experiencing now is different from regular allergies.
“We’re all inside more now and we’re getting more exposure to things like dust mites and cat and dog dander, which are year round allergens,” Ma said.
Ma tells us this is good news, it means your symptoms might not be serious after all, and can easily be fixed.
“If your nose is dry, it can actually feel congested, which is a surprise to many patients,” Ma said. “If you’re talking about dryness, I personally love just a nice saline spray.”
She said even if you’re not sick now, this is the time of year to be wary of catching a cold, the flu, and covid-19 too. Ma tells us hand washing is key to staying healthy.
“I think everybody should be very mindful. Of course, hand hygiene, just being appropriately careful, is really important.”
As we move through the holiday season, Ma said being mindful of your overall health can help prevent sickness as well. This means taking care of your body, especially when in situations where there are increased risks for sickness.
“It also can be triggered by cold weather exposure, so once we get out of the season change, then we’re in the cold weather season. Oftentimes people are traveling for the holidays and being in planes, kind of that altitude change that can also trigger it too,” Ma said.
As always, she said it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.
“If somebody’s not feeling well, if they say that they’re having symptoms that are impacting their life, or just wanna know options or know what’s going on, we’re always happy to see people,” Ma said.