Ask a Lakes Urgent Care Doctor

Preparing early for the oncoming allergy season can significantly reduce your allergy symptoms once the season begins. The best way to prepare is to consult with your primary care physician now and allow her to provide you with guidance for your specific allergy symptoms. Very soon, pollen levels will begin to escalate as our weather warms and the plant life around us comes back to life. It may be advisable to begin preventative allergy medications now. This can help prevent early inflammation and the cascade of allergic reactions you may face before they spiral out of control. If you’re unsure of the source of your allergies, see you doctor right away and get tested. Knowledge of what types of allergens trigger your symptoms can help refine medication treatments and help you reduce exposure. The CDC and our local health department can be excellent sources of information for activity and peaks with particular types of allergies and pollens.

Prevention is always worth a pound of cure! If you are able to determine the specific allergens that trigger your symptoms, this can help you reduce or potentially eliminate exposure to the elements that cause you grief. If tree pollen is your source of misery, it may not be possible to eliminate exposure. That’s where treatment with preventative medications can make a significant difference, especially if you start before your symptoms begin.
In your home, keep windows closed and rely on your home’s heating and cooling system along with good quality air filters and dehumidifiers to reduce symptoms while indoors or sleeping. When coming in from any outdoor activity, showering and changing your clothes can help reduce your exposure to allergens.

Perennial allergies refer to specific allergens that cause an allergic reaction year-round. Common examples include pet hair or dander, food allergies or medication allergies.

In contrast, seasonal allergies typically occur with weather changes that allow for new environmental plant, mold, insect or grass growth. Locally, pollen and mold season can begin as early as February and last through November. Now is the right time to begin discussions with your physician about the preventative measures you can take to keep allergy symptoms from activating your immune system. And this can help you avoid the dreaded return of sneezing, nasal congestion and itchy, watery eyes. Lakes Urgent Care can also be a resource if you do not have a primary care physician. We can help guide your preparation for seasonal allergies or arrange for allergy testing. With appropriate preparation and recognition of triggers to avoid, everyone can enjoy the coming warm, sunny months ahead!

Have a seasonal allergy action plan and think preventative. When you use medications early, you may ease your symptoms all spring. Finding the right combination of treatment might take a bit of trial and error:

Antihistamines can help if you’re sneezing, have a runny nose, or your nose and eyes are itchy.

Decongestants can come to the rescue when you’re all stuffed up because they shrink the lining of the passages in your nose. You can try a nasal spray or a pill format, but be aware of potential rebound effect with long-term use, as they are best used for periodic relief.

Nasal corticosteroid sprayed into your nose, can give you relief from stuffiness and sneezing. These are very effective when used regularly, but they may take a few days or weeks to kick in.

Always consult with your primary care physician if you take other routine medications to avoid potentially problematic interactions.

Unfortunately, the answer is yes.  An earlier and longer growing season for trees and plants will increase pollen levels, which in turn could significantly exacerbate allergies, asthma and other chronic respiratory illness. Our March warmth started the blooming and pollination process much earlier than normal.  If you are miserable and feeling the effects and symptoms of seasonal allergies, you’re not alone. Tree pollen, mostly from Cottonwood, Maple and Juniper trees are causing the most grief right now.

Exposure to different allergens or bacteria can help your immune system develop antibodies and other useful proteins that can aid in fighting infections in the future. There is also evidence to suggest that having pets in the home may help children develop antibodies slowly over time. There is certainly nothing wrong with children playing in the dirt outside, but this should always be followed by good sanitary habits including washing hands and exposed areas with soap and water. Cleaning up after play also helps prevent any significant infections from developing initially with contact.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Staying in front of allergy symptoms by utilizing your treatment program before symptoms begin is much more effective. It’s also very helpful to take note of specific triggers that may initiate allergy symptoms. If there are certain seasonal milestones that always seem to give you trouble, such as spring-flowering trees or cottonwood season, it’s always best to take your medication and initiate your prevention program before those triggers come into full bloom.

Pillows accumulate many asthma- and allergy-provoking items such as bacteria, pollen, mold, and dust mites. In general, most experts in this field recommend replacing pillows every 3-5 years at most. It can also be helpful to cover your pillows with allergy-proof protective coverings. And don’t forget to wash your pillowcases at least once a week to keep them free of these allergy-provoking elements.

It’s always best to consult with your primary care physician for direction in creating the best treatment approach to seasonal allergies. Zyrtec is certainly an excellent antihistamine that generally does not cause sedation. Your doctor can tell you if you may also benefit from adding additional elements to your treatment program such as a nasal steroid spray, which is also now being offered as an over-the-counter choice.

It can be difficult to determine whether your symptoms are due to a common cold or allergies. However, the most distinct difference is that allergy symptoms generally only cause nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing, without the other typical symptoms of the common cold such as fever, headache, muscle aches and sore throat. Allergy symptoms may also cause sinus congestion that manifests itself as pressure behind the cheekbones and mild to moderate pressure or headache in your forehead just above the eyebrows.

Exposure to different allergens or bacteria can help your immune system develop antibodies and other useful proteins that can aid in fighting infections in the future. There is also evidence to suggest that having pets in the home may help children develop antibodies slowly over time. There is certainly nothing wrong with children playing in the dirt outside, but this should always be followed by good sanitary habits including washing hands and exposed areas with soap and water. Cleaning up after play also helps prevent any significant infections from developing initially with contact.