April Showers Bring Pollen Power: Managing Seasonal Allergies

The American Allergy & Asthma Network states that more than 60 million Americans have seasonal allergies. If you're one of them, you know springtime can bring on the worst symptoms as the flowers and trees begin to bloom.

There's excellent news, though – many treatments and lifestyle changes allow you to enjoy the warm weather without a sneezing fit or red and watery eyes.

At Calvary Urgent Care, Dr. Joseph Goin and his team offer primary care services to address concerns like seasonal allergies. He provides information and personalized treatments to attack allergies at the source.

Springtime and allergies

Seasonal allergies can happen at most any time, but spring is the worst for some. That's because the trees and flowers are just starting to emerge, releasing pollen into the air.

Pollen is a significant allergy trigger that often initiates symptoms like sneezing, red or watery eyes, and a stuffy or congested nose. The pollen interacts with the immune system, causing telltale symptoms of seasonal allergies.

People with pollen allergies have an immune system that mistakenly attacks pollen, seeing it as a threat. This issue causes an inflammatory response and the release of histamine, which causes sneezing and other symptoms.

However, not everyone has allergies to pollen; some people have grass, hay, and ragweed allergies. Spring seems to be the time that affects most people as the weather gets warmer and the flowers and trees bloom.

Lifestyle tips for managing allergies

You don't have to deal with allergies this spring — we offer plenty of lifestyle tips to manage symptoms. If you don't know where to start, make an appointment with Dr. Goin to discuss treatment options.

Lifestyle tips are great ways to manage allergies by avoiding your specific triggers. If you're a springtime allergy sufferer, follow these tips for long-term allergy relief:

• Stay inside when it's windy and dry
• Avoid pulling weeds and gardening
• Avoid hanging laundry outside
• Remove clothing after being outside
• Shower immediately to eliminate pollen
• Keep an eye out for high pollen count days
• Keep your windows and doors closed during high pollen counts
• Avoid going outside in the morning when pollen counts are high
• Use good air filters in your home
• Utilize a dehumidifier to keep your home air dry
• Vacuum with a HEPA filter to eliminate pollen from your home

You probably don't want to stay inside when it's nice out, so you can wear a mask to work outside. However, you should change clothes and rinse off any pollen on your body to avoid allergy symptoms.

Medications that control seasonal allergies

For some, lifestyle changes alone aren't enough to alleviate springtime allergies. We offer several medications that control histamine release to relieve allergy symptoms quickly.

You can try several over-the-counter options, including saline nasal rinses, oral antihistamines, corticosteroid nasal sprays, or oral decongestants. If these don't work, we offer other prescription options that include:

• Oral or inhaled bronchodilators
• Inhaled steroids
• Oral anti-leukotrienes
• Injectable allergy medications
• Immunotherapy

We often find that a combination of lifestyle changes and over-the-counter antihistamines or inhaled corticosteroids work well for many people. However, some with severe pollen allergies require prescription medications and pollen avoidance to control severe symptoms.

Call Calvary Urgent Care in Humble, Texas, today to schedule an allergy consultation or visit our urgent care. You may also request an appointment on our website.