Dr. Michael Mulligan graduated from the University of California San Diego Medical School and completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of California Los Angeles. He is also an adjunct clinical assistant professor in Pediatrics-Allergy and Immunology at the Stanford School of Medicine. His personal interests include sports and music. Dr. Mulligan treats patients of all ages at Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group and helpfully shared his insights about handling colds and environmental allergies, especially in an area where sniffling due to pollen and other triggers is so common.
I’ve personally faced seasonal allergies living in several different regions of the United States, but I struggle with them the most in this area. Our car is covered in a sheet of yellow pollen and our household faces lots of sniffles, which I always work to stay on top of. As parents, we want to do as much as we can to support our children in feeling their best and staying healthy, so I shared some burning cold and allergy questions with Dr. Mulligan.
HOW CAN I TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COLD AND ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES IN MY CHILD?
It is often difficult to know, as the symptoms can be similar. A runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, or cough could come from either. If there’s more itching of the eyes or nose, it’s more likely an allergy. If there’s a fever, it’s an infection. For patients who are known to have allergies, I usually recommend that if they’re not sure, they should treat for allergies, since treatments for colds don’t really work anyway.
SHOULD PARENTS CHECK POLLEN AND MOLD GRAPHS?
The pollen charts tell what the pollen counts were a few days ago, not what they will be today or tomorrow. I don’t find them to be very useful.
WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KEEP IN MIND ABOUT ALLERGY- OR COLD-RELIEF COMFORT MEASURES OR MEDICATIONS?
For allergies, antihistamines are the first-line treatment; try to avoid older antihistamines, such as Benadryl. I recommend using newer versions like Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec for allergies. Parents can add a nasal steroid spray like Flonase if their children aged six and up are having persistent symptoms, but talk with an allergist before using that with children under five years old.
For cold symptoms, saline sprays can help in combination with suction for younger kids. Again, I don’t usually recommend medication for cold symptoms.
CAN BABIES AND TODDLERS FACE SEASONAL ALLERGIES? HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE THESE?
We start seeing nasal allergy symptoms around school age, four to five and older. It’s rare to see significant seasonal nasal allergies in kids under four years old. We can see more chronic allergy symptoms in toddlers due to allergens, such as pets, dust mites, and mold.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY CHILD GETS A COLD WHILE ALREADY SUFFERING FROM SEASONAL ALLERGIES?
Cold medicines don’t help much, so I would recommend continuing allergy medications and maybe add a saline spray if there is a lot of nasal congestion.
WHEN SHOULD PARENTS TAKE THEIR CHILD TO AN ALLERGIST?
If a child has typical allergy symptoms in spring or fall and responds well to antihistamines or nasal steroid sprays, they don’t necessarily need to see an allergist, but if the medications aren’t working well enough or if the nasal symptoms are present most of the year, it would be a good idea to get tested.
WHAT ARE THE PEAK SEASONAL ALLERGY TIMES FOR MONTEREY COUNTY/SANTA CRUZ COUNTY?
Spring and fall, but in northern California the allergy season is year-round.
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