It’s a peak time of year for allergies. CHI St. Alexius Health Nurse Practitioner Michelle Maier say the busiest allergy seasons are fall and spring. She says leaves, mold, pollen, and dust in the air all contribute to allergies. Maier says the most common symptoms include itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and congestion. She says if you have any of those symptoms you’ll want to visit with a healthcare provider first to make sure that it’s an allergy.
She says there are a lot of available treatments for allergies over the counter like nasal steroids and antihistamines. She says some tips to deal with allergies are to use a nasal rinse to wash away irritants, to not sleep with the window open at night and to wear a mask when mowing.
“Allergies can start at any time. I have some patients that are younger that have them and are just developing them and then I’ll have some that never had allergies and then they’re all of a sudden developing them, and they’ll be surprised,” says Michelle Maier, FNP-C.
She says to find out what you are allergic to you can see a specialist and have testing.
KXNews
Corina Cappabianca, Reporter