You know your allergies are bad when......

I picked up a Reader's Digest to read yesterday and found an article about allergies. I thought I had read it all and seen it all, but the first line of the article has me laughing! It said:

"When the sounds of birds chirping instantly trigger a runny nose,
you know your allergies are bad."

They had a few simple ideas from the article and the show "The Doctors"

• Avoid going outside during high pollen times-5 am to 10 am.
• Avoid windy days.
• Use a HEPA filter in your vacuum, air conditioning and heating system (otherwise, you can just spread around the dust and pollen)
• Try switching allergy medications if yours makes you drowsy. The article says Zyrtec, Allegra and Claritin may help you feel more alert. They also say to take it at night, so you sleep through some of the drowsy side effects.
• Try allergy eye drops and nasal sprays instead of a pill.
• Use a sinus rinse, my doctor recommends a Neti Pot.

The article didn't mention an important idea- shower before you go to bed at night. Otherwise you are rolling around in pollen covered sheets all night. That can make you wake up with swollen eyes, running nose and keep you up all night sneezing. I know this from personal experience!
The other thing the article didn't mention was immunotherapy (allergy shots.) Sometimes, doing all of the things listed above just aren't enough to control allergies. To read more about allergy shots, click here.
The doctor's office can perform a simple (yet itchy) scratch test on your back to see what you are allergic to. Then they mix up a serum of what you are allergic to and you get tiny shots every week. They gradually increase the dose while your body starts to build up a defense against the allergies. It's not a quick fix-it can take 3 to 5 years. But it has made life easier at our house.
All allergies are not created equal-what might bother you may not be a problem for your kids. And vice versa. So try different ways of dealing with allergies and see what works for you.
And buy boxes of tissues in bulk! I'm shocked at how many we go through....