Itchy, Puffy, Sneezing??

By: Brittney Grooms

The biggest spring allergy trigger is pollen. This includes trees, grasses, and weeds.  They release tiny grains into the air to fertilize other plants. When they get into the nose of someone who’s allergic, they send the body’s defenses into complete haywire. Summer allergies can cause severe symptoms for some sufferers and can be just as bad as the spring and fall season.

 Tips to Prevent and Treat Pollen Allergies

Avoid being outdoors on windy days, especially mid-morning to mid-afternoon, when pollen counts are often highest. If you must be out, cover your mouth with a scarf or an allergen mask.

Keep car and home windows and doors closed, and avoid using electric fans inside the home, which can kick up pollen into the air.

After returning from outdoors, shower, wash your hair and change your clothing.

Take your medications before you have allergy symptoms.

Do outdoor activities in the morning when pollen levels are low.

Close your windows, even at night, and use the air conditioning.

Wash your hands, body and clothes after being outside.

Here’s a general rule about allergy seasons:

Spring — Tree pollen

Summer — Grass

Fall — Weeds

Year-round — Molds

**Remember, pollens can travel up to 400 miles in the wind, so watch pollen counts and weather for that distance around you. (Fun fact: you can google pollen count in your town)

Allergy symptoms:

Runny nose

Itchy nose

Nasal congestion

Sneezing

Itchy eyes

Watery Eyes

Under Eye Dark Circles

Itchy Throat

Ear Congestion

Postnasal drainage

Itchy sinuses or ear canals

Allergies affect everyone differently. You may experience less common symptoms as well such as:

Headache

Shortness of breath

Wheezing

Coughing

If you or someone you know are having symptoms of allergies and would like to be tested, we offer an in-house allergy test that test up to 58 allergens. This test takes about 20-30 minutes to complete and is covered by most insurances. Give us a call today at 731-554-0571.