It usually starts with a sneeze around 4 p.m.
An hour later, the sniffles arrive. And roughly an hour after that, my skin is itchy, my sinuses tingle, and my nose is running so much, I'm temped to pack Kleenex up my nose like gauze.
Okay, I'll admit, sometimes I actually do cram Kleenex up my nostrils -- and you can imagine how attractive that is. But when the red tide hits me real bad, I just get desperate.
In my little surf town, summer equates with sunshine, glassy conditions and warmer water. Yet, that warmer water I appreciate so much also brings forth red tide, which I do not appreciate so much.
There's a lot of stuff online about red tide, but I won't bore you with biology stuff. In short, red tide is an algal bloom. And when it's around, it gives the water a redish or brownish hue. Though certain forms of red tide can be harmful to marine life, it doesn't bother most humans.
Unfortunately, I'm not in that Most category, and I'm not alone. Since red tide can cause some surfers to get sick -- presumably because they are allergic to it -- that leaves the ill surfer with three choices:
1.) Play more tennis in the summer.
2.) Surf in the day, be miserable at night.
3.) Find a remedy.
I like tennis, but I can't go without The Stoke for an entire summer. Yet, even the best session is not worth the kind of illness I get from red tide. So I've explored numerous medicines, and, well -- most don't help.
I've tried Flonase, Benadryl and even Zyrtec, the last of which gave me real hope since it used to be available only by prescription. But none of those did the trick. So far I've found only one thing to be effective in combating red tide: Claritin-D.
Not the regular Claritin -- that doesn't work. It has to be Claritin-D. And because Claritin-D contains pseudoephedrine -- a key ingredient to meth -- you have to buy it at the pharmacy so the government can keep tabs on how much Claritin-D you're buying. (One poor guy bought Claritin-D for his church-camp-bound son and got busted.)
But that's not all. Once you've picked up your Claritin-D, you have to make sure to take it before you go in the water. I've taken it after, and it just doesn't work. But if I take it after, it seems to help. I might get a little sniffly, and I'll still sneeze a few times. But it cuts down on the symptoms dramatically.
Before you think I'm a complete shill for Claritin-D, I will say there are some side-effects. Mostly, I feel a little tingly sensation that's not so great. And sometimes I even get a little sweaty. This guy even said it hampered his, ah . . . ability to love.
Despite the side-effects, I've found Claritin-D to be the best solution to red tide.
Now, of course, I'm no doctor, so I should probably provide this disclaimer: This is how Claritin-D worked for me. As those commercials always say, "Results may vary."
So if you take Claritin-D and you lose the feeling in your left foot or have an urge to bark at the moon, well . . . I did say "results may vary," right?
Photo: Alejandro Diaz
Comments
I'm glad this works for you but have you met or heard of anyone suffering with long-term effects? My family visited Florida in October 07 and my son still has sinus issues!! NOTHING works!! The red tide is DANGEROUS to humans...I keep hearing that is not and it's just not true...but I understand the economic results if tourists are told to stay away from the beaches.
Sarah:
I have heard that red tide tends to be worse in Florida. Oddly enough, I've read that a lot of biologists claim red tide doesn't really make anyone sick -- a suggestion that it's just all in our heads.
Our sinuses, maybe. But it'd be awfully hard to fake the symptoms I get.
Poor kid. I hate summer colds. Keep your chin up, dude.
Red tide toxin has the potential to kill both marine life and humans. The fact that there is no testing being done on humans and no easily accessible database for red tide toxin exposure victims should be FRIGHTENING for everyone. Researchers have been saying for years that the impact of brevetoxin exposure is temporary, but I am here to tell you that long-term impact is no joke! After my mother breathed in a heavy dose of brevetoxin in October of 2007, she got her cancer diagnosis and almost died. She fought long and hard for a year, but she has passed on from the awful aftermath of red tide toxin exposure and is resting in peace. What a horrible, horrible way to die, though!
Can humans be tested for brevetoxin exposure? The animal testing would work on humans, but NO ONE is doing this testing on humans. Would this be Pandora's Box being opened? Would too many adverse effects of red tide toxin exposure be uncovered? Would Florida (and other coastal areas) tourism suffer? Is Florida tourism more important than YOUR LIFE?!?
Red tide toxin KILLS! It doesn't discriminate. And, contrary to what the officials will tell you, no one knows what the long-term impact to humans is. The temporary effects are NOT SO TEMPORARY in the elderly or those with underlying lung problems. In fact, children may be quite vulnerable with long-term consequences possible. PLEASE do not assume that red tide toxin is harmless or merely an "annoyance." It is quite the opposite, I am afraid.
Red Tide Toxin Alert
redtidetoxinalert@cox.net
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If Claritin-D does help, it does nothing more than mask the symptoms of a very potent neurotoxin. Scientists have revealed that brevetoxin may cause long-term health effects in humans.
The truth is that no one knows what this neurotoxin does to humans, especially if it is inhaled in an aerosolized form. Smokers and the elderly, whether respiratory-compromised or not, may experience serious consequences after deep or prolonged inhalation of this toxin.
This toxin causes immunosuppression in sea mammals most similar to humans. How does this look in humans? Human lungs can look as if they are pneumonia-filled but with little response to anitibiotics.
What human diseases can surface and flourish as a result of brevetoxin exposure and subsequent immunosuppression? How might brevetoxin speed up cancer progression in the diagnosed or undiagnosed? How might it result in a fatal condition in those with treatable respiratory-compromise?
Take this seriously. Research!
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