Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Kentucky Bluegrass Allergies for 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyKentucky bluegrass is a highly allergenic grass species that can be found throughout most of the United States. This soft, bluish-green grass may feel nice to sit on, but for allergy sufferers, it can make summers miserable. Fortunately, there are ways to manage and treat your Kentucky bluegrass allergies.
If you’re needing relief from Kentucky bluegrass allergies, let Wyndly’s doctors create a personalized allergy plan for you. Schedule your consultation today, or read on to learn more about Kentucky bluegrass allergies.
Common Symptoms
Kentucky bluegrass allergies may cause one or more of the following common allergy symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Aggravated symptoms if you have asthma
Bluegrass allergies can be mild or relatively intense, depending on the individual’s immune response. In general, bluegrass allergies will be worse when the pollen count is high and when the allergy season is peaking.
Where Is Kentucky Bluegrass Found?
While Kentucky bluegrass can be found in Kentucky, this isn’t where it originated. Originally, this grass is from Europe and parts of Asia. Eventually, it was introduced to North America and can now be found in nearly every state. Kentucky bluegrass is often used in pastures, yards, landscaping, and golf courses.
When Is Kentucky Bluegrass Pollen Allergy Season?
Kentucky bluegrass has an unusual pollen allergy season compared to other grass species. While most grass species produce pollen in summer, Kentucky bluegrass starts in spring, goes dormant in summer, and starts producing pollen again in fall. So those with Kentucky bluegrass allergies might get a double dose of grass allergies during the year.
Foods to Avoid
Kentucky bluegrass may be cross-reactive with several types of food. The immune system can confuse the proteins in the grass pollen with proteins in certain foods. This sometimes causes oral allergy syndrome (OAS). OAS can cause your mouth and throat to feel tingly or itchy.
Here are some foods to watch out for if you have a Kentucky bluegrass allergy:
- Melons
- Pineapples
- Zucchini
- Peanuts
- Tomatoes
- Citrus
- Watermelons
- Persimmons
- Hazelnuts
If you experience an adverse reaction to any food, especially nuts, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Testing and Diagnosis
It can be very difficult to self-diagnose your allergies, especially if you have seasonal allergies. Allergy seasons often cross over with one another, and there is a lot of pollen in the air between spring and fall. Finding the specific source of your allergies may be nearly impossible. An allergy test can help you identify your allergens and clear up any doubts. Wyndly makes allergy testing easy with our at-home allergy tests. Buy your 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, 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 a 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
No one likes dealing with seasonal allergy symptoms, and fortunately, you don’t have to. Several treatment options can help you find relief.
These are some you may want to consider:
Limiting Exposure
One of the best things to do to manage allergy symptoms is limit your exposure. Complete avoidance of bluegrass pollen is difficult, but with the following right measures, you can keep your exposure to a minimum.
- Check the pollen count daily: Once allergy season starts, you should check the pollen count in the morning. On days with a high pollen count, you may want to stay inside as much as you can. If you do head outside, wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses can limit your pollen exposure.
- Go outside in the evening: Limit outside time to the evening hours, as grass pollen usually peaks in the morning and early afternoon.
- Keep grass short: Grass produces more pollen when it’s longer. Keeping your grass short will help reduce pollen in your immediate area.
- Keep windows closed: Open windows make it easy for pollen to float in through your windows. Run your A/C instead. Also, installing a HEPA filter can help keep pollen out.
- Keep your home clean: Grass pollen will likely get into your house one way or another. Using a vacuum with a HEPA filter and wiping off hard surfaces with a wet rag can help get rid of pollen.
- Rinse off in the shower: After being outside, it’s a good idea to rinse off in the shower to get pollen off your skin and hair. At the very least, it’s recommended to wash your hands and face well.
- Do laundry often: Be sure to get pollen off your clothes too. Do laundry more often than usual during allergy season, and avoid drying your clothes outside.
- Take your shoes off: Stepping through the grass will get pollen on your shoes, so it’s a good idea to take your shoes off when you get home.
- Wipe off pets: Pets can get a lot of grass pollen on them when they’re outside. Make sure to wipe off their paws and fur when they come in. You may want to give them more baths and brush them more often when it’s allergy season.
- Avoid the aforementioned foods: Remember to avoid bluegrass-related foods.
Medications
Limiting your exposure can be helpful, but it’s common to need additional help from allergy medications to manage symptoms. Several common allergy medications may help your bluegrass allergies.
-
Over-the-counter: Over-the-counter allergy medications are the most commonly used remedy. There are a variety of choices available, including non-drowsy and options for children.
- Antihistamines: Antihistamines inhibit the body’s histamine response, temporarily relieving several common allergy symptoms.
- Nasal sprays: Nasal sprays reduce swelling and inflammation in the nose, providing short-term relief from stuffy and runny nose symptoms.
- Eye drops: For itchy and watery eyes, eye drops can be an effective solution. They work by flushing out pollen.
- Prescription: As a last resort, you may want to consider prescription allergy options. Talk to your doctor to see if this is the right choice for you.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
If you’re looking for lasting treatment for your allergy symptoms, sublingual immunotherapy is a safe and effective option. Sublingual immunotherapy uses small doses of an allergen to gradually retrain your immune system to ignore allergen substances. This can lead to lifelong relief from allergies.
Wyndly makes sublingual immunotherapy accessible and convenient. If you want an alternative to allergy shots that doesn’t require needles or a trip to the doctor, sublingual immunotherapy is your solution.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
When you’re ready to get long-term relief from grass allergies or other seasonal allergies, choose Wyndly. Our doctors can design a personalized allergy treatment plan based on your specific allergy profile. If you’re a candidate for sublingual immunotherapy, you can get your treatment plan delivered right to your door.
Schedule your allergy consultation today if you’re ready to start on the path to an allergy-free life.
Kentucky Bluegrass FAQs
Following are some frequently asked questions about Kentucky bluegrass.
If I’m allergic to Kentucky bluegrass, am I allergic to all grass pollens?
Kentucky bluegrass can be cross-reactive with several other grass species, but that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be allergic to more than one species of grass.
Can I just get rid of Kentucky bluegrass in my yard?
If you have bluegrass in your yard, cutting it short and keeping it that way can help reduce the amount of pollen it produces.
Can my bluegrass allergies bother me in winter?
Though Kentucky bluegrass doesn’t usually produce pollen in winter, it can cause problems in the fall and spring.
