It’s spring and you know what that means. Pollen, and lots of it. Seasonal allergies can feel overwhelming. Sometimes you just feel miserable. Seasonal allergies are also known as allergic rhinitis and hay fever, plaguing numerous people during this time of the year. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, allergic rhinitis affects 5.2 million of the children population and 19.2 million of the adult population. Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, and watery, itchy eyes. You don’t have to navigate your daily life with these annoying symptoms. Try these methods to get a hold of your seasonal allergies.
Know your allergy triggers
What are your triggers? Knowing what triggers a flare-up can truly save you in the long run. Then, you can reduce your exposure to these triggers. For some people, it’s being outside during windy days. Maybe it’s keeping the clothes you wore while you were out. Change your clothes when coming inside to avoid pollen transferring to furniture and other houshold surfaces.
Be aware of high pollen count
Watching the news and checking online to keep track of those high-pollen count days is vital. Like a forecast, it’s important to know what’s expected when you go outside. Then you can better prepare yourself before leaving the house with allergy medicine. Stop it before it starts.
Keep indoor air pollen-free
When we were young, our parents would always say “In or out” to avoid flies and hot air from entering the house. It’s the same with pollen. Mayo Clinic suggests closing doors and windows anytime pollen count is high. Air purifier and humidifier are widely sought after for this reason. Air purifiers help to remove pollen reducing your allergies. Air humidifiers put moisture into the air helping with nasal dryness and congestion. Lastly, the pollen footprints at the foot of the doors can be vacuumed right up. Make sure your vacuum has a HEPA filter.
Maintain with OTC medicine
Okay. You’re having an itchy, runny nose and watery eye episode and it’s driving you nuts. Antihistamines are your friend. Feeling stuffy in the nose? Seasonal allergies can also trigger sinuses. Oral and nasal decongestants are known to quickly fix these issues.
Try something natural
Maybe you want to go the natural route. There are natural alternative treatments for hay fever such as eating local honey or taking a bee pollen supplement. The purpose is to build resistance to allergies. Butterbur also known as Petasites hybridus in a 2003 review has been found to be equally effective for itchy eyes as an antihistamine. Don’t forget about spirulina. It has been demonstrated to protect against seasonal allergies in a 2015 study. Essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and frankincense also help with allergic rhinitis. For frankincense and peppermint can be used behind the ears, just dilute with a carrier oil. Eucalyptus can be used as an antimicrobial by adding it to a load of laundry during allergy season.
Featured photo by Shutterstock