Rubbing my itchy eyes and blowing my runny nose after writing my sixth prescription of the day for allergy medicine, I decided it is time for my yearly article on allergies. This is one of those topics that need repeating so at the risk of violating the write-something-new-every-week rule for columnists, here it is again.
Allergies tend to be bad in New Mexico because our climate is dry, meaning the pollen doesn’t get rained out of the air. Add to that our famous spring winds, and the result is a snoot full of pollen. Symptoms of seasonal allergies include itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, headache and itchy skin.
If you never had seasonal allergies anywhere else you lived, you have a good chance of
developing them here. The major offenders in the spring are trees like juniper and mulberry. In the summer, grass is the worst, and in the fall it is weeds.
Other common causes of respiratory allergies are animal dander, dust and mold. If you already have problems with these, the seasonal stuff multiplies the whole response and the result is misery.
All is not lost; there are things you can do. In order of increasing technical difficulty, here they are:
Avoid the allergens. An allergen is whatever you’re allergic to. Now, obviously you have to breathe and you have to be outdoors sometimes. So you can’t completely avoid pollen. But you might be able to choose indoor time when the wind and pollen counts are really high. Also, close your windows at night. Trees drop most of their pollen in the wee hours, so don’t leave an open invitation, so to speak.
Get the allergens out of your environment. If you have indoor-outdoor pets, wipe them down when they come in. Even if you can’t see it, they are covered with dust and pollen. A damp paper towel will work. Wash your pillowcase often, so you don’t breathe in deposited pollen particles all night. Consider an air filter.
Get the allergens off of you. Wash or rinse your hair before bed. Wash your itchy eyes with cold tears. By this I mean, put a bottle of artificial tears in the fridge, and apply liberally to fiery eyeballs. It washes the pollen out and feels oh so good! Dare to try a sinus rinse. You use a squeeze bottle or teapot-like item that you fill with salt water and pour up your nose to rinse out your sinuses. Not only does this wash the pollens and other allergens from inside your nose, it also loosens the mucous and makes it much easier to clear. I have some patients who do a sinus rinse twice a day and don’t have to do anything else or take any meds for their allergies. It may sound gross, but once you try it, you’ll never stop.
Take drugs. From topical to oral, from over-the-counter to prescription, there are lots of drugs that block the allergic response or treat the symptoms. As with any medication, I recommend starting low and going slow. Try OTC eye drops and nasal sprays first, then OTC pills. Antihistamines are the class that blocks the allergic response. Other useful drugs are decongestants to decrease the swelling in the nose, expectorants to help loosen mucous and cough suppressants. If OTC remedies fail, come see us for a prescription. If you get wheezing or asthma with your allergies, you should see a medical provider.
Allergy shots are the last resort of the desperately, miserably allergic, whose symptoms don’t respond to all the other measures above. If this is you, you need to see an allergist and get skin testing to see exactly what you’re allergic to. The allergist will then concoct a mixture of those things and give them to you in minute amounts by injection several times a week for a few years, until you are no longer allergic.
Lastly, remember the wise words of the very wise man or woman who said, “This too shall pass.” Nothing is permanent. Life is always changing, and the pollen will eventually subside.
Gesundheit and good luck!
Peggy Spencer is a board-certified family physician. She has been a UNM Student Health physician for 17 years, and a Daily Lobo contributing columnist for 3 years. She is co-author of the book 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s, released in March 2008.
Drop your questions into her box in the lobby of Student Health and Counseling, or e-mail her directly at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered, and all questioners will remain anonymous. This column has general health information only and cannot replace a visit to a health provider.
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