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Thursday's Health Report: Dealing with allergies
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BATON ROUGE — The official start of spring is two weeks away and right now is a good time to get prepared if you have allergies.
There are several ways to stop spring allergens from getting inside the home.
"Try to keep the windows closed as much as possible so that the pollens from outdoors aren't coming in. And as it warms up, and it's a beautiful spring day, very frequently you want to open it a little bit at nighttime. The problem is that you will wake up with lots of symptoms," Allergist Dr. Sandra Hong said.
Along with closing your windows, experts say showering before bed and keeping pets out of the bedroom will help to reduce allergens. If you are dealing with symptoms, there are over-the-counter medicines you can try. A nasal spray is good for congestion and sinus pressure, while an oral antihistamine relieves a runny nose or itching symptoms.
Spring allergies also tend to irritate the eyes, and there are eye drops to address that.
If those don't help, it may be time to see an allergist.
"If you are getting sick frequently, if you are having shortness of breath and asthma symptoms, if your eczema is flaring, if your allergies are just not being controlled and it's impacting your life, an allergist can absolutely help with all of those symptoms," Dr. Hong said.
An allergist will identify exactly what you are allergic to and help come up with a treatment plan.
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