Seasonal Allergies: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments & Prevention
Spring means flowers are budding and trees are blooming. And if you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from seasonal allergies, it also means that it is the time of year that you may deal with sneezing, coughing, congestions, or a runny nose.
When spring allergens float through the air and reach the nose, the body will sometimes overreact if you suffer from season allergies.
An allergy occurs when your immune system reacts to an outdoor allergen such as pollen from wind-pollenated plants. Indoor allergens such as dust, mold, and pet dander can also be triggers . Seasonal allergies are less common during the winter, but it is possible to have seasonal allergies year-round. This can be dependent on your specific allergies and where you live.
Are seasonal allergies genetic? Developing allergies is often hereditary, meaning it can be passed down from parents to their kids. However, just because you have allergies, it does not mean that your children will.
Seasonal allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe. Specifically in patients with asthma, allergies can cause a cough, wheeze, and shortness of breath. Fortunately, allergies are not contagious, but their symptoms may include: sneezing, runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, itchy sinuses or ear canals, ear congestion, postnasal drainage, headache, shortness of breath, wheezing, or coughing.
Common causes of seasonal allergies are different with each season. Trees are responsible for most springtime seasonal allergies. The real culprits of summertime seasonal allergies are grasses such as ryegrass and timothy grass. Fall allergies can be blamed predominately on ragweed while winter seasonal allergies are typically due to spending more time indoors.
Allergies vs. Cold
If you tend to get colds that occur around the same time of year every year, it is likely that you actually have seasonal allergies instead. Even though colds and allergies do share some of the same symptoms, they are actually very different in reality.
Common colds are caused by a virus while seasonal allergies are immune responses to allergens. The common cold can be treated with rest, pain relievers, and decongestants, typically lasting anywhere from 3 to 10 days. Seasonal allergies are treated with over-the-counter, prescription antihistamines, nasal sprays, and decongestants as well as the avoidance of certain allergens. This can last several weeks.
Allergies vs. COVID-19
In today’s world, every sneeze or cough causes heads to turn. How do you know if you have COVID-19 or just allergies? COVID-19 is a viral illness spread throughout droplets through coughing, sneezing, and close personal contact with others. Symptoms start between 2 and 14 days after exposure. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, intense fatigue, body aches, and loss of smell and taste.
Often, people with seasonal allergies have a history of such, and the symptoms tend to be more long-lasting than viral symptoms. Allergy symptoms often respond to medication and make people itchy, while that is not the cause for the COVID-19 virus. Lastly, patients with allergies do not develop a fever and COVID-19 patients often do.
Seasonal Allergies
The best treatment for seasonal allergies is to avoid the allergens that trigger symptoms for you. Additional ways to get seasonal allergy relief are: taking extra steps to avoid pollen when counts are high, keeping indoor air clean, trying an over-the-counter remedy, and rinsing your sinuses.
The spring allergy season is almost here, and if you want to avoid symptoms, it’s time to act. Pretreating allergies will lead to a better control of symptoms.
Immune System Boosters
The best way to avoid seasonal allergy symptoms is to begin taking immune boosting vitamins like NextGenRx’s Elderberry E-Hist and Compounded Immune Booster.
Elderberry E-Hist is a blend of antioxidants, botanicals, enzymes and flavonoids combined to support the immune system for seasonal allergic responses to common environmental allergens. In clinical applications, Elderberry E-Hist has been shown to support immune and sinus health, promote thin mucus and clears the sinus and nasal passages. Learn more about these Elderberry and its benefits.
Our Compounded Immune Booster is made up of Compounded Vitamin C-600mg, Vitamin D-2500u, and Zinc Gluconate-15mg. It promotes immune health with a combination of vitamins designed to keep you healthy. Learn more about these vitamins and what they can do for you.
Why NextGenRx Pharmacy?
From the beginning, NextGenRx has prided ourselves in building a pharmacy with quality, individualized medicine for an affordable cost through eliminating the middle man. Our goal is to provide you, the patient, with a positive experience without dealing with insurance companies while also lowering the cost of medications.
With more than 30 years of experience in compounding, our staff works to solve patients’ health care problems through unique formulas not all pharmacies can offer. We aim to serve our patients with top-quality service, uncompromised quality, and affordable prices.
Contact us with all of your questions about our seasonal allergy immune boosting options. Call our team at 918-578-0031 and see how we can help. You can also request a refill every day by going directly to our website.