Tips to ease your seasonal allergies

Thirty six. That’s how many tissues I went through in one day over the weekend. Like many people, my allergies typically hit in May and this year has come in with a bang. Trees, grass and other plants are popping everywhere, much to the joy or gardeners and dismay of allergy sufferers. The first step in fighting back is knowing exactly what your triggers are. So after the allergy testing has been done and a course of treatment has been recommended, are there other little things to try that may yield big benefits?

Allergy specialist Dr. Karen Binkley says step one is always reducing exposure to pollens as much as possible. There are the obvious steps of keeping windows and doors closed, but don’t overlook some more unusual suggestions. Pollen can get trapped in hair, clothes and even pet fur, so wear a hat, wash or change your clothes when you come indoors and wipe down Fido. And while drying laundry outside may be the environmentally friendlier option, it won’t do allergy sufferers any good to snuggle up in pollen filled sheets. Opt for the dryer until your triggers settle down.

Along with sneezing and congestion, itchy watery eyes are an allergy hallmark. Most pollens are larger than dust mites or animal dander particles, so end up significantly affecting the upper airway. Dr. Binkley recommends wearing wrap around sunglasses to reduce the amount of pollen that enters the eye. A few other suggestions: prop your head up at bedtime or try nasal strips to ease congestion, and give a salt water rinse a whirl to help clear pollen out of the nose.

Dr. Binkley says these approaches make a noticeable difference for many of her patients. I would personally add one additional suggestion to the list: tissues with lotion! To hear more helpful tips, watch my video.