Ah, spring. It’s that wonderful time of year when the temperature starts to rise and everything is in bloom. So, welcome to the season of allergies. It is those sneezy, itchy-eyed, congested months from early spring to late fall when trees and grasses bombard the air with pollen, and affect so many with allergies. Due to several years of record-breaking levels of seasonal pollens, it is essential to have an allergy survival plan in place. Allergies can take a toll in many aspects of your life. Stay one step ahead for an allergy-free season. First, you need to know if you even have seasonal allergies so that you can customize a successful allergen avoidance and management plan.
Allergy symptoms may last right through summer, depending on what you’re allergic to, with trees, grass, molds, and ragweed being the most common culprits.
During allergy season, your body has an immune reaction when exposed to different allergens and forms allergy-specific antibodies (called immunoglobulins), which sit on cells in your eyes, nose, lungs and skin. Whenever you come into contact with a particular allergen, your body reacts by releasing chemicals called histamines, leading to an allergic reaction.
Before you can treat allergies or try to avoid the cause of your flare-ups, you need to identify what’s causing your symptoms. If you know that you’re at an increased risk for allergies due to family history, it’s a good idea to get an allergy skin test (called a scratch test) before the season begins.
While you can’t completely avoid nature during allergy season, there are steps you can take to avoid allergy symptoms.
1. Get pollen alerts: Your local weather station or weather app may provide pollen reports, so you can prepare yourself before you leave the house.
2. Invest in an air purifier: Run an air filter in your bedroom and keep pets out of your sleeping space to ensure that your body has time to rest and recharge overnight with no allergy flare-ups.
3. Manage your stress: Extra stress can throw off your immune-system balance. For some people, it’s a case of fatigue and adrenal exhaustion.
4. Find the right treatment: Once you’re in full-blown itchy, sneezy, watery-eye mode, there are a number of things that you can try in order to manage your symptoms and relieve discomfort.
To find out if you may be suffering from spring allergies and how to treat them, call Rockville Concierge Doctors at (301) 545-1811 to request an appointment.
