Spring Allergies Survival Tips
There are few things in life better than spring in Plano, the days are longer, the sun is brighter, the flowers are in bloom.
But, if you are one of the estimated 50 million American’s who suffers from seasonal allergies, springtime can be a time of misery. However, there are ways to minimize your annoying symptoms and enjoy this beautiful time of year.
At Prestige ER, we care about the members of the community we serve, and therefore we have put together a short list of tips that can help you enjoy spring. First, however, let’s try to understand what causes these life-disrupting symptoms.
What Causes Spring Allergies?
This time of year, pollen is the number one allergen to avoid. Spring is known to be the time nature regenerates after the long dormant period of winter, this means flowers, trees, grasses, and weeds release pollen.
Even if you don’t have a yard, or if you don’t live near a park you can still be exposed to high levels of pollen, because it can easily become airborne with a slight breeze and travel for miles. Because of urban planning efforts to create more forest ecosystems, the pollen counts this time of year goes up considerably.
There are many trees that are known triggers for spring allergies, and a lot of these grow abundantly in our cities like Cypress, Cottonwood, Elms, Willows, Cedar, Juniper, Mulberry, Oak, and Oycamores.
To these triggers we must add grasses in our yards and parks as well as some weeds, amongst the most triggers in this class we have Bermuda, fescue, June, johnson, perennial rye, orchard, redtop, saltgrass, sweet vernal, and timothy.
Helpful Tips to Survive Spring Allergies
- Prevention: If you have already been diagnosed with seasonal allergies, then the best thing is to start taking your antihistamine medication as soon as possible, don’t wait until you have symptoms.
- Get Diagnosed: If you are unsure of which elements trigger your allergies, the best thing to do is to visit an allergy specialist and get your allergy profile, this will help you identify the root cause of your symptoms.
- Climate Control is your Friend: Staying indoors with your windows and doors shut is the best way to avoid contact with pollen. Turn on your air conditioning when you are home, office or in your car. Don’t use window or attic fans as these can draw in pollen from the air. It is advisable to have a professional inspect your ducts and filters to ensure they are clean and mold free.
- Clean Up: Keep your home as dust free as possible. Use a saline nasal wash, this will help flush any pollen particles that may have entered your nose. If you have been outdoors, as soon as you come home it is advisable for you to take a shower and change clothes, this is important because pollen is very sticky, and it can cling to hair, clothes, and skin easily.
- Hire a Gardner: Avoid doing any yard work yourself, instead have someone else who does not have spring allergies do it for you.
- Cover Up: If you need to outdoors we suggest you wear a scarf or breathing mask to avoid inhaling any pollen particles.
- Monitor Your Local Pollen Count: Windy days have higher pollen counts compared to days with no winds and even more so compared to rainy days. Click here to monitor the pollen count in your area.
What to Do When Seasonal Allergies Turn Serious
For the most part, the symptoms of spring allergies are mild and although they can be life-disrupting and uncomfortable they are seldom life-threatening, however, if your medication is not working, or you have trouble breathing you should come into Prestige ER immediately for evaluation, you may be suffering from a severe allergic reaction that could turn deadly if not treated properly.
HealthCare.gov recommends that in case of an emergency, you head straight to the closest ER.
You DO NOT need to get prior approval from your health insurance company.
They will cover expenses barring whatever your deductible and coinsurance/copayments are for emergency treatments.
Know Where to Go in the Event of an Emergency
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