7 Secrets to Ease the Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies

The spring and fall are two seasons when you are highly prone to allergies. However, people with weaker immunity can also fall prey to allergies during the wet season. If you want to avoid having symptoms, you must act now.

Prevention is always better than cure because once allergic symptoms start to show up, it will be difficult to deal with them. During the change of seasons, allergens are higher than ever in air which enters your body through your nose and mouth.

As they enter your body, the cells at the lining of your nose immediately identify foreign invaders that can cause harm to your body but sometimes they overreact by mistaking harmless pollens for dangerous invaders and summon help by releasing a chemical called histamine, which triggers more immune cells in your body to attack them.

As a result, you have the symptoms of runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and sometimes hay fever.

What can you do to prevent yourself from allergies?

Doctors say that it is very difficult to treat allergic symptoms once you have got them and therefore you should nip them into the bud. Here is what you can do:

1. Block your defence system

Most of the people allow their body to fight against these allergens with the hope that it will go away automatically. It is no so; in fact, immune cells cause inflammatory damage to the extent that it becomes almost difficult to heal it. It may take a longer time.

Therefore, you should try to block your defence mechanism before allergens get into your body. You can prevent the symptoms or lessen their severity with the help of medication. There are several over-the-counter antihistamine medications.

However, you should consult a doctor so you know what kind of medicine will ease your symptoms. In case you do not have enough money, you can take out quick loans for bad credit the same day.

2. Reduce your exposure to allergens

Although blocking your defence system may help prevent from allergies, but you will also have to take some precaution. You can reduce your exposure to pollutants and pollens by following the following tips:

Try to stay indoors especially on dry and windy days. The best time to go outside is after a good rain as it clears the pollen from the air.
Avoid gardening chores like lawn making, weed pulling etc.
Wash your skin and hair to get rid of the tiniest particles of pollens.
Do not hang clothes on the clothes line as pollen can stick to the sheets and towels.
Wear a face mask while going outside. Make it a habit especially if your immune system is not strong.

3. Take extra precautions when pollens are high

Seasonal allergies can be severe when pollen cunts are very high in the air. If you have a weaker immune system, it becomes more necessary to take extra precautions. Here is what you should do:

Check your local newspaper and current weather forecast on TV to know pollen levels.
Start taking medicines if high pollen counts are forecasted.
Keep your doors and windows closed.
Pollens could be very high in the morning so try to avoid outdoor activities that time.

4. Keep indoor air clean

Outside air is not health. Indoor air is not healthy either. There is no magic bullet that can remove all allergens from indoor air. However, with the following steps you can keep indoor air clean:

Use air conditioning or air heating in your house. Make sure you use high-efficiency filters and run regular maintenance schedule.
Use dehumidifier to keep indoor air dry.
Use a HEPA filter if possible.
Try to use vacuum cleaner to remove all dirt and pollens.

5. Take care of your diet

Weather changing is the worst time for allergies. If you do not take care of your diet this time, you will likely have severe symptoms. Sometimes you do not have symptoms but you may still have allergic reactions. For instance, your nose runs just for a short time. You often ignore such symptoms and in couple of days the symptoms become severe.

Medication could be a good treatment but at the same time you need to be careful of your diet. This time you should emphasise consumption of fruit and vegetables. Green vegetables have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Citrus fruits should be avoided as they can irritate the throat. However, when you are healthy, you should add them in your diet. They are particularly known for improving immunity. Avoid dairy products as they can thicken the mucus in your throat and lungs.

Rice should also be avoided if you have a cough. Some people can trigger the allergic reactions by eating rice so try to avoid them if you have even minor symptoms.

6. Use over-the-counter medication

There are several over-the-counter medicines you can use to ease the symptoms of allergies. However, it is crucial to note that not all types of antihistamine medications will be suitable to your condition.

For instance, some may have itchy, runny and sneezing nose while others may have only sore throat. The latter could be the case of GERD. Antihistamine can help ease throat irritation and a cough but you will also have to take antacids.

Some people may need a nasal spray when they feel irritation and blockage at the back of their nose. These nasal sprays can block histamine to ease symptoms. Instead of getting over-the-counter drug, you should consult a doctor.

They will examine you before prescribing a medicine. You can also ask them if you need to make any changes in your diet. Try to ask them which medicine you should take when the allergy season starts so you can keep it at bay.

7. Consider home remedies

Home remedies may also be effective to ease sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and irritating throat. You should prefer some hot fluids like green tea, chamomile tea, and ginger tea. These fluids will soothe your throat. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent runny nose and sore throat.

However, there is no particular evidence that these home remedies can actually sooth your throat and lessen the symptoms of runny nose. Though no study has been done with the findings of their effects on allergic symptoms, you can take such fluids. They do not have any major side effects.

The final word

Seasonal allergies can be quite difficult to treat if they are severe. Therefore, it is recommended taking precautionary steps before you fall prey to it. Do not go outside when pollen counts are high in the air. Check the pollen levels in the air on news before going out. Keep indoor air clean and take extra precautions like put on a face mask.

Use over-the-counter medication. If you do not have any idea of what medicine will work on your symptoms, you should prefer consulting a doctor. Ask them if you need to make any changes to your diet.