Help! My Child Broke a Bone
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Don’t Let Spring Allergies Get You Down: Tips for Relief
Your immune system is a loose collection of organs, glands, and tissues that protects you from disease and other problems. Allergies result from that system mistaking harmless substances as threats to be eliminated, releasing histamines and causing a series of unpleasant symptoms that many people struggle with seasonally.
With the warm spring and summer months arriving to invite us out to play, let’s try to help you enjoy the experience without suffering the all too familiar signs of an allergic reaction in the middle of the fun. Let’s examine some common allergens, what symptoms you’ll likely deal with, and what can be done to avoid and manage them.
American River Urgent Care, with Dr. Andrew Nangalama and his team, serves residents of Orangevale and Rancho Cordova, California, with a range of medical needs, including allergy treatment.
Common spring allergy triggers
As the weather warms, plants will bloom, and as beautiful as they look, the pollen they give off will make allergy sufferers miserable. You’ll often find it in many trees (ash, alder, aspen, beech, birch, cedar, elm, hickory, and others), and it’s also found in grass and weeds. Other spring allergens include molds, dust, and your pets' dander.
The exact timeframe for the pollen activity changes depending on what part of the country you’re in, with some states starting in February and ending in May, while others may start a month earlier. Dry climates can see pollen issues as early as December.
Symptoms to look for
An allergic reaction, also known as allergic rhinitis, has a range of symptoms that can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how strong your allergies are. When struggling with allergies, expect symptoms such as sneezing, itching, watery eyes, postnasal drainage, ear congestion, and nasal congestion.
Asthma develops from allergies, and if you have it, wheezing or shortness of breath are common symptoms. The combination of hay fever and asthma also increases the chances of an asthma attack.
Prevention and treatment options
To reduce how much allergies limit your lifestyle, here are some basic tips:
- Avoid triggers: stay away from things likely to cause a reaction
- Clean surfaces: sanitize areas where pollen, mold, and other triggers can land, and vacuum where pets are active
- Watch weather reports: keep track of what the forecast is to learn the pollen count and determine if you need to stay inside
- Close windows: keeping pollen out helps to reduce its impact on your body
- Wash clothes and shower: cleaning pollen, dust, and other triggers off of what you wear lowers the risk of attacks
- Wear masks: in areas where you know allergens are, but have to go, wearing a mask can help lower hay fever
Allergies don’t have to make life more difficult; you can make changes to reduce the impact, and if that’s not enough, make an appointment to find out how we can help.
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