Kathy Crawford

Allergies Aren't Just in Your Head

If you  have a runny or congested nose and you sneeze often, you probably have an allergy.  Very common, millions of people have them.  The question is, what to do?

Allergies are what you probably have if you  have a runny or congested nose and you sneeze often.  Don't feel alone because millions of other people have this also.

The two forms of allergies are seasonal or perennial.  If you suffer seasonally you are allergic to the pollen in some plants.  This may come from when trees pollinate in the spring, grass in the late spring and early summer and also some grass in the late summer until the first hard frost.

A perennial allergy usually is caused by common allergens in molds, house dust, cats and horses. These cause what is called "hay fever."   But you don't have a fever and it doesn't come from hay. If you are allergic to any of those allergens or to smoke or pollution you may have "hay fever" all the time if you don't do anything to get relief.

You have to avoid these allergens to get relief from your symptoms.  This can be very hard to do because most of these are in the air around us almost everywhere we go.  People who suffer seasonal type allergies get some help if they can stay inside with the windows shut during the pollen season.  Air conditioners help to filter out some of the pollen in the air.

Some people use antihistamines and decongestants to relieve their allergies.  But you have to be sure you do not overuse any of these.  If your stomach becomes upset when you take antihistamines you should try to take them with a light snack or with milk.

You shouldn't take antihistamines if you have asthma, glaucoma, shortness of breath, chronic pulmonary disease or if you have an enlarged prostate that makes it difficult for you to urinate.

If you are using a decongestant spray do not use it for more than three days.  Using it longer than three days may actually make your congestion worse.  You shouldn't use a decongestant if you have diabetes, thyroid disease, heart disease or an enlarged prostate.  Also do not use a decongestant spray if you are on medicine for depression or high blood pressure.

There are also some natural remedies that you can use to help your allergies but that is something that will be covered in a future article.  So for now just stay away from the pollens and dander that cause you so much misery.

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