Tag Archives: hay fever

4 Ways to Manage Hay Fever

A hay fever is an allergic reaction when grass or tree pollen enters your mouth, nose, eyes, or throat. As it would against a virus, your immune system tries to combat the pollen, which results in an allergic reaction and the accompanying symptoms.

Depending on the amounts of grass, weed, and tree pollen and the materials you are allergic to, hay fever can linger for weeks or months, in contrast to the typical cold, which often only lasts a week or two.

Nearly 19 million people in America suffer from hay fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source.

The typical symptoms of the condition include:

Runny nose, congestion, watery, red, or irritated eyes, sneezing, coughing

While hay fever can have symptoms lasting for extended periods of time, it’s not hard to manage. You can do it even without having to see an allergist. Some of the things you need to do to manage the condition include:

Track the pollen count

Knowing the pollen count, you can better anticipate and prepare for peak pollen days. This means you can take the necessary precautions to reduce exposure and better manage the symptoms.

Through proper tracking, you know when to take the medications. Antihistamines and nasal corticosteroids are the most common medications for hay fever that function best when taken before allergen exposure.

By monitoring pollen levels, you can easily schedule when to take the medications; consequently, you can easily manage the condition.

When you know the high pollen counts, you can easily take precautions to limit your exposure to pollen. When you know you will have a high pollen count, you get to close windows, use air purifiers, and stay inside when pollen counts are at their highest.

To certain people, hay fever can worsen pre-existing respiratory diseases like asthma or cause severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). By monitoring pollen counts, you can be proactive and avert emergencies.

Observing the pollen count over time can help you recognize trends and patterns. Regular planning lets you tell the times of year when symptoms are at their worst and modify your lifestyle choices accordingly.

Finally, knowing your daily pollen count gives you peace. This is because you have control over exposing yourself. With this knowledge, you can manage the allergies and lessen the unpredictable nature of symptom flare-ups.

Installing a pollen count app on your phone is one of the best ways to track the pollen count. There are free and paid apps you can go for. Of course, the paid versions will often have better features, so if you can afford them, these are the best.

Stop smoking

Smoking can worsen hay fever symptoms by irritating the lining of your airways, resulting in a dry, uncomfortable cough.

As much as it’s easy to say that you should stop smoking, it’s pretty hard. Thankfully, you have a few options to support you if you’re trying to give up or reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke.

One option is to consider nicotine replacement therapies. These include gums, patches, lozenges, inhalators, and sprays that supply the body with little nicotine while eliminating tar, carbon monoxide, and other toxins in cigarettes.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist for advice on which type of NRT would be best for you if you’re unsure.

Manage the pets

Your favorite fluffy animals tend to bring pollen and other allergens, which can worsen the symptoms. To ensure this doesn’t happen, you need to control the pets.

One way to control the pets is by having pet-free zones in your house. Ideally, the bedroom and any other spaces where you spend a lot of time should fall under this category. By keeping these spaces free of dander, you’ll have a place to go when your allergies flare up.

Regular pet grooming can help lower the quantity of dander and loose fur. To stop pet dander from getting inside, brush your pet outside. Consider getting your pet professionally groomed if it has thick or lengthy fur.

Use medication

There are plenty of medication options in the market that you can use to manage your condition. Some of the options that you can go with include:

Antihistamines: Antihistamines prevent the body’s allergic reaction to pollen, which helps control minor hay fever symptoms. They are most frequently found as tablets and liquids, which you can take as needed to assist you in managing your symptoms or as often as necessary during the season.

To determine which antihistamine is best for you, consult your allergy doctor.

Nasal sprays: Pollen tends to induce inflammation of the nasal lining. If you have trouble with a runny or clogged nose, sneezing, or both, you can use nasal spray in addition to antihistamines.

Many over-the-counter nasal sprays are available to assist in reducing the symptoms of hay fever. For instructions on how to use these products, always read the instructions that come with them. If they prove to be ineffective, discuss prescription-only treatment with your doctor.

Eye drops: There are plenty of allergy relief eye drops that you can use to alleviate dryness, discomfort, and watering of the eyes.

Ask your allergy specialist Manassas VA if you’re unsure which eye drops are right for you.

Barrier balm: Stop pollen from entering your nasal passage to protect the body’s major entry point. To help your nostrils capture pollen and prevent it from spreading, dab a small amount of petroleum jelly around the opening of your nose.

Sunglasses: Although not a type of medication, they are vital in protecting and helping you manage the symptoms.

Wearing the appropriate shades can help protect your eyes from the sun and be a useful addition to your regular hayfever regimen. Wear wraparound styles if you have hay fever since they help keep pollen out of your eyes.

What You Need to Know about Allergic Rhinitis

Sneezing is often associated with colds and often results in stuffy or runny nose and watery eyes. To help alleviate your cold symptoms, doctors would usually prescribe cold medications to lessen your sniffles. But if you sneeze a lot, suddenly feel itchy all over, or end up with runny nose and watery eyes even without symptoms of colds, chances are you may have allergic rhinitis.

It is said that around 40 to 60 million – or even more – Americans suffer from allergic rhinitis. Also known as hay fever, this condition often affects your nasal area. If you think you have allergic rhinitis, you should consult an allergist doctor near you and given the right medications to manage the condition.

Knowing more about allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis usually occurs when you inhale something that you are allergic to, such as pollen, pet dander, or a certain perfume. This condition also occurs if you ingest something that you are allergic as well, such as seafood or eggs. However, the more commonly known type of allergic rhinitis is more on the former wherein you experience adverse reactions upon inhalation of an allergic.

There are instances wherein a person do not realize he or she is allergic to something unless already inhaled or ingested. In such cases, it can result in the manifestation of similar symptoms as in common colds such as a runny and stuffy nose, and watery eyes. If you experience this after suspicion of getting into contact with a potential allergen, head to the nearest allergy clinic immediately.

As mentioned, allergic rhinitis or hay fever is usually triggered by a pollen allergic reaction. In other words, it may happen when you are outdoors as they may come from plants and then blown away by the wind. However, it can also happen indoors especially if you are not fond of regular dusting and if you have furry pets.

Types of allergic rhinitis

It is important to note that allergic rhinitis or hay fever has two major forms: seasonal and perennial. The former occurs especially during springtime to early fall, and are usually caused by airborne spores or pollen from trees, weeds, and grass.

The latter, on the other hand, happens all year-round. It can be caused by indoor or outdoor allergen triggers like dust mites, pollen, pet dander. Some food allergies may also result in perennial allergic rhinitis, although this is a rare instance. In some cases, there are people who experience both.

That is why you should consult an allergy doctor if you experience possible symptoms of hay fever. An allergy specialist doctor will provide medications and treatment to help manage your condition. At the same time, it will prevent your condition from worsening which can lead to further complications.

Symptoms

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology or AAAAI revealed that there is around eight percent of American adults suffer from hay fever. On the other hand, it is also believed that as much as 30 percent of the total global population have this condition.

An allergy physician and other allergy experts suggest getting treatment from allergies if you or someone you know experience one or more of the following symptoms.

  • Repetitive sneezing
  • Runny, stuffy, and itchy nose
  • Itchy or sore throat
  • Coughing
  • Itchy and watery eyes (usually accompanied with sneezing and runny nose)
  • Itchy and dry skin, or hives in worse cases
  • Fatigue and headache

These symptoms usually show up as immediately as you come into contact with an allergen. On the other hand, some of the symptoms such as fatigue and headache may occur following long-term exposure to the specified allergens. Nevertheless, it is best to consult an allergist doctor to help manage your condition.

Treatment

Doctors would normally prescribe antihistamines to help manage allergic symptoms. Antihistamines work by halting the production of histamines in the body, of which the latter contribute to the allergic reactions. Among common over-the-counter antihistamine medications include loratadine (popularly known as Claritin), cetirizine (also known as Zyrtec), and diphenhydramine (generic name of Benedryl).

Some are also given nasal decongestants to relieve sinus pressure and stuffy nose. However, prolonged use of these products can result in a rebound effect and make the condition worse. Also, it is better to consult an allergist first before taking or using these medications.

Finding an allergy expert near you

If you experience any symptoms of allergic rhinitis, never delay treatment. Instead, visit the best allergist in Germantown MD immediately for proper treatment.