If your client is finding themselves sneezing and blowing their nose nonstop lately, they’re not alone. Nearly 8% of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. Allergies happen as your body mounts an immune response to a foreign substance. In the case of seasonal allergies, that substance is usually pollen from plants and trees. Symptoms of seasonal allergies often include sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, scratchy throat, and itchy or watery eyes. Luckily, there’s things your client can do to reduce symptoms of seasonal allergies. Here are a few tips.
Reduce Your Exposure to Allergens
Allergens are the substances (such as pollen) that cause symptoms of seasonal allergies. If your client suffers from seasonal allergies, they’ll want to reduce their exposure to pollen as much as possible. For instance, if they want to go outside, the best time to do so is after a good rain, when most of the pollen has washed away. Try to avoid the outdoors if it is a dry, windy day and pollen is blowing around. At night and other times when pollen counts are high, make sure the windows in their home are closed.
Eliminate Allergens in the Home
To further reduce exposure to allergens, it can help to keep indoor air clean. You can do this by using air conditioning in the home and car. It can help to use high-efficiency filters in the air conditioning unit. You can also keep indoor air dry by using a dehumidifier. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can also be useful in places such as the bedroom. And when you or your client is vacuuming, try to use a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter to further remove any pollen accumulation.
Try Over-the-Counter Remedies
Sometimes, exposure to allergens is unavoidable and that’s when over-the-counter medication can help. Many nonprescription medications are available to help manage symptoms of seasonal allergies. Talk to your client’s doctor about which over-the-counter medications may be right for them. If pollen counts are predicted to be high or if you know you’ll both be spending a lot of time outdoors, try to have them take their allergy medicine early before their symptoms start.
Try a Sinus Rinse
Another way to relieve allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion and itching is to rinse the nasal passages with a saline solution. These are typically available in pharmacies in the form of a squeeze bottle or neti pot. Rinsing flushes out mucus and allergens that have accumulated in the nose. Be sure to use distilled water that’s been filtered to make up the saline irrigation solution. When your client is finished, rinse the irrigation device with distilled or previously boiled water and leave it open to air-dry.
If you’ve tried different techniques to help manage your client’s allergy symptoms but find they are still unrelenting, sometimes it’s worth a trip to their primary care doctor’s office. They may prescribe them with stronger allergy medicine or recommend other methods to try to control their allergies. Luckily, seasonal allergies only last a short time and give your client another reason to look forward to summer.