The minute you step outside or open the windows, you feel it: First, your throat gets scratchy and your eyes begin to water. A few minutes later, you’re sneezing. The next day, you wake up to a full set of symptoms — a runny nose, itchy eyes and a sinus headache.
For some, allergies occur in the spring, when the pollen count ticks up. Others are plagued in the fall, when ragweed begins blooming. Still others suffer year-round. But what exactly causes allergies? What’s happening in the body’s immune system to cause such an overwhelming reaction?