Flowers and trees are blooming.
Grass is growing.
Spring can be delightful, unless you’re among the many who suffer seasonal allergies.
Pollen, which causes your allergies, slams people with itchy eyes, runny noses, and headaches. Instead of celebrating the sun, birds and an emerging spring season, the sufferers are clamoring for tissue, clear nasal passages and please, just let it end!
Why Am I Hurting?
When pollen enters your body, it’s mistakenly recognized as a danger to our immune system, which puts our bodies into defense mode. The immune system releases antibodies to attack the allergens and releases chemicals called histamines into our blood.
Histamines are what cause those annoying symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes, and all the other bothers that allergy sufferers endure.
Spring’s also a rainy season, and a lot of rain can result in mold growth both inside and outside of your home, which is a common allergy trigger.
How to Ward Off Allergies This Spring
- Wash bed linens weekly
- Check local pollen counts to limit time outside when pollen counts are high
- Keep windows closed and use allergy-friendly filters on air conditioning units
- Remove your shoes before entering the house
- Wear sunglasses to prevent pollen from entering your eyes
- Vacuum your floors at least once a week
- Wear a dust mask when you’re mowing the lawn
- Keep lawn grass and garden grass cut short
How to Relieve Allergy Symptoms
If you’ve tried prevention, but it’s just not working well, here are some tips to get the relief you need:
- Saline spray and rinses, such as a neti pot
- Eye drops that relieve redness and itching
- Antihistamines like Benadryl and Claritin
- Acupuncture
- Oral decongestants like SUDAFED
- Steam treatments: Hold your head over a warm bowl of water and place a towel over your head to trap the steam. The warm steam can help to clear congestion and sooth your nasal passages. Please be careful not to burn yourself.
If you’ve tried over-the-counter remedies and are still suffering, it might be time to see a medical professional. The qualified healthcare professionals at StarMed Family & Urgent Care are here to help you and no appointment is needed!
Walk-ins are always welcome and we’re open six days a week. Don’t let allergies ruin your spring!