From the Smarty Health Corner & CEENTA: Spring Allergy Treatment Options

Spring allergy season will be here before you know it, which means you may encounter pollen and pet dander that’ll leave you sniffling and sneezing well into summer. Rather than suffer through another year of debilitating symptoms at work or home, why not find a way to fight back those common allergens?

Consider this your comprehensive guide on treating spring allergies based on three distinct approaches.

Spring Allergy Treatment #1: Environmental

The first and easiest way to mitigate your allergy symptoms is to reduce your exposure to your triggering allergens. With pollen and pet dander exposure occurring outside, limiting your time outdoors could help but may not be feasible (nor enjoyable) during spring. To remedy this, a properly fitting face mask can lower your interaction with these allergens.

That said, coming across pollen and pet dander doesn’t stop at the door. These and other triggering allergens can be tracked in from outside to into your home or workspace. Properly washing your clothes and face masks can help, as can routinely cleaning your living and work areas. In your house, an air purifier and fresh set of air filters for your HVAC system can go a long way to make your spring more enjoyable.

Dr. John Kilde, a CEENTA allergy specialist who practices out of our Albemarle office, provides additional insight into the avoidance method of treatment. “While avoidance can help, our goal is to allow our allergy patients to do the activities they love ( like going outside, petting their dog, and so on) with better control of their symptoms. Allergy testing can help tailor a management plan for individuals to better manage their allergy symptoms.”

Spring Allergy Treatment #2: Medicinal

Sometimes exposure reduction and cleaning are not enough. Your next step is to consider over-the-counter medications that can treat your nasal congestion, runny nose, and itchy eyes. The most common medicine patients use are antihistamines, which reduce the amount of histamine released by the body as a response to allergens and causes congestion as a natural response. These over-the-counter options can be taken orally or as a nasal spray.

There are drawbacks to using antihistamines for symptom management. Some medications that are useful for treating congestion may have the unintended consequence of making your itchy eyes worse. Others, like Afrin, should be used sparingly to avoid rebound congestion, which is a reswelling of the nasal tissue that’s responsible for a stuffy nose. One recommended alternative is Flonase, which is safer to use for longer durations of time.

Spring Allergy Treatment #3: Biological

Even symptom management has its limits, so why not treat your allergies at the source? One of the most effective methods of dealing with spring allergies is immunotherapy. Not too dissimilar from how a flu vaccine might work, allergy immunotherapy relies on gradually introducing allergens into your immune system to develop a tolerance that lasts for years at a time. Your physician can offer three types of immunotherapy methods for the buildup period and maintenance period: allergy shots, allergy tablets, and sublingual drops.

To receive immunotherapy for spring allergies, it’s important that you discuss your options with a trained allergy specialist. At CEENTA, our board-certified physicians in North and South Carolina can begin your path to an allergy-free spring by testing you for common allergens like pollen and pet dander along with scheduling your immunotherapy based on your lifestyle.

Schedule your allergy consultation today through our online platform or through your myCEENTAchart account if you are an existing patient.

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates