Despite its name, hay fever has nothing to do with hay or fever. A nineteenth-century physician coined the term because he began to sneeze every time he entered a hay barn. But hay fever is, in fact, a reaction of the upper respiratory tract to anything to which you may be allergic; the medical term for hay fever is allergic rhinitis. Symptoms include watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, and sneezing. Although hay fever is most common in spring and fall, some people suffer all year, The best way to control this problem is to minimize your exposure to allergens.
Here are a few tips:
- Delegate outdoor chores. Mowing the lawn or raking leaves is a potential disaster if you're allergic to the pollen of grains, trees, or weeds (especially ragweed), or to molds.
- Keep windows and doors shut and stay inside when the pollen count or humidity is high. (Early morning is particularly bothersome for some.)
- Install air conditioning or air purifiers for added relief, particularly in your bedroom. (Be sure to clean the units frequently.)
- Keep your surroundings as free of dust, mold, or pollen as possible. Of the three, dust is hardest to avoid-it's everywhere. So:
Dust your home frequently and vacuum often.
Wash area rugs.
Avoid stuffed animals-they're dust collectors.
- Avoid household pets (or keep them outside the house).
- Don't hang sheets and blankets outside to dry. (Pollen can collect on them.)
If avoiding hay fever triggers gives you little or no relief, consider trying antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays, or eye drops.
- Antihistamines block the release of histamine, a substance the body automatically produces in response to an allergen.
- Histamine is responsible for many allergic symptoms. For best results, take the antihistamine 30 minutes before going outside. (Note: Over-the-counter antihistamines are more likely to cause drowsiness than prescription ones.)
- Decongestants reduce nasal blockage by narrowing blood vessels. (Don't use a nasal spray for more than three days at a time-you may become dependent on them.)
Your doctor may prescribe other medications, such as cromolyn sodium or steroids. If nothing else works, your doctor may recommend immunotherapy (allergy shots). Skin tests are used to determine which allergens bother you, and then you receive injections of small amounts of the allergen to "desensitize" you to it. These injections contain only a minuscule amount of allergen.
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