April showers bring about spring flowers, but also stuffy noses, itchy watery eyes, and terrible allergies for the more than 17 million allergy suffers in the United States.
This time of the year, everyone is trying to stay ahead of the pollen counts and prevent symptoms so they can enjoy spring rather then being sick from it.
1) Know What You Are Allergic Too
- Do you feel like you're allergic to everything? "When it comes to allergies, knowledge is power when it comes to allergies," says Gramercy Allergies Dr. Meng Chen. Being tested for allergies will help you predict before you start feeling sick from symptoms.
- Testing for allergies is done by putting droplets of different allergens on your arm/back. You'll have a local reaction. "By knowing what you are allergic to you can direct therapy in a specific way, rather then thinking you're allergic to everything" says Dr. Chen .
2) Be Prepared Before Heading Outdoors
- Don't think you have to say no to that picnic in the park or the soccer game after school, taking medications before you head outdoors is often pivotal in preventing an allergic reaction. Most allergy medications work best if you use them before the allergy exposure.
3) Get Tech Savy with Your Allergies
- Downloading an allergy app is an easy way of literally keeping pollen levels at your fingertips.
- Some of Dr. Jennifer Collins's favorite allergy app like Zyrtec AllergyCast, WebMD Allergy, WeatherBug Poncho: Wake Up Weather will help keep you prepared for what the week has ahead of you pollen wise
- These are perfect for travel where you might not know what you're heading into.
4) Rock out your inner moviestar with sunglasses
- Not only will they keep you fashionable, they'll protect your eyes from the high pollen levels flying around the city.
- "Look for ones with large lens to offer the most protection" says Dr. Meng Chen.
- Sunglasses act as a physical barrier to help protect eyes and were shown to help reduce overall needs of medications in a 2013 Turkish study.
5) Scrub a dub dub.
- "Shower at night to wash the pollen off your hair and body. This is key to keeping pollen out of your bed and continued exposure while you sleep," says Dr. Jennifer Collins, MD.
- If you don't have time to do a full shower, make sure you wash your face and brush your hair well before heading into bed.
Gramercy Allergy hopes these tips help you enjoy the Spring!
Want more directed tips on springtime allergies? Visit our www.gramercyallergy.com to schedule an appointment or call us today 212-679-3574
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