28 May Hello Spring. You had me at Achoo!

Dr. Maya Alhajj Gharfeh is a Pediatric Allergist in Waco, Texas.  She is a mama and a doc sharing some tips for this allergy season with us…  

After a seemingly never ending winter, we have finally welcomed Spring! These warmer days mean many of you are finally able to spend more time outdoors. And unfortunately, with all of that outdoor fun, you may be starting to suffer from spring allergy symptoms. I thought it would be worthwhile to review what allergy symptoms look like, what you can do at home and when it may be a good idea to visit with your allergist.

Symptoms:

The signs of allergic rhinitis are fairly straight forward but can be easily confused with  respiratory illnesses. These symptoms are fairly common in allergic rhinitis:

• clear, runny nose (rhinorrhea)
• nasal congestion
• itchy nose
• itchy, puffy and watery eyes
• sneezing
• post-nasal drainage
• cough

Upper respiratory infectionscan also have many of the above mentioned symptoms with or without fever. A few key distinguishing symptoms for allergic rhinitis are its sneezing and itchiness; respiratory infections typically do not have the itching.

Home Treatments:

At home, you can try a second generation antihistamine such as Zyrtec (cetirizine) or Claritin (loratidine) to alleviate symptoms such as sneezing and itching. A nasal steroid spray such as Flonase (fluticasone) is best for treating your nasal congestion and runny nose symptoms. Both of these medications are available over the counter. Saline irrigation is not fun to do but makes a huge difference in getting that mucous out of your nose and sinuses. I find that these at-home therapies are great first step options for battling those allergic symptoms.

Stepping it up to the allergist: 

If you’ve tried these treatments above and are still struggling, it may be time to see your allergist. He or she can help determine what exactly you are allergic to and determine if you need to step up your therapy with other medications or consider starting immunotherapy. Immunotherapy, or “allergy shots”, work to change the immune system’s recognition to these allergens and develop tolerance to their exposure. Patients who have been on shots will notice that, over time, they rely less and less on their medications and their allergy symptoms in general are not as much of a burden as they once were. Your allergist will walk through your results with you and determine whether you may benefit from this next step in allergic rhinitis treatment.

I hope this information is helpful to you as you battle through your spring allergies!  -DrG

Be sure to visitDr. Gharfeh’s lovely site as well @allergistmama!