It’s Not Your Imagination, Pollen is Worse Than Ever. How to Survive Spring Allergies

Up to 40 percent of people suffer from springtime allergies—and the culprit is more irritating than ever, according to Dr. Christina Ciaccio, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at University of Chicago Medical Center.

“Climate warming and increased CO2 levels favor pollen seasons that start earlier,” she says. “And it’s more potent pollen. It seems to be more activating to our immune system.”

Ciaccio shares her advice for making spring more bearable.

What kind of pollen triggers allergies?

“Insect-pollinated plants, like apple or cherry trees, don’t bother us,” Dr. Ciaccio says. “That pollen doesn’t get in the air in the same way. Wind-pollinated trees, like oak or elm, are the problem. The pollen is designed to get captured in the wind, and then we breathe it in, so those are the ones that causes trouble.”

How should we treat symptoms?

“Nasal steroids are the most effective medications. There’s lots of versions over the counter. [Flonase and Nasonex are two brands available.] And antihistamines, the ones that last 12 to 24 hours. Those are the second generation antihistamines as opposed to the first generation that lasted four to six hours and were very sedating. We don’t recommend people take the first generation antihistamines. Antihistamines work within 15 minutes to an hour of when you take them, so you can just take them on your bad days. If you have bad allergies, you can take both nasal steroids and antihistamines together.”

What’s the best relief for itchy eyes?

“Showering can help. You could put a cold, wet washcloth on your eyes, and gently squeeze the cloth to irrigate out the pollen. And there are great over-the-counter eye drops that are antihistamines. My tip is if you keep them in the refrigerator, it’s even more soothing when you put them in your eye.”

How do you know it’s allergies and not the flu? 

“Allergies should not cause fevers. If you have a fever, that’s a tip-off it’s probably an infection. And most of the time when it’s an allergy, a predominant symptom is itch. We don’t see that quite so much with an infection. If you’re really scratching your nose and your eyes, that is much more indicative of an allergy, particularly a pollen allergy.”

Do air purifiers help?

“I don’t think there’s good evidence that it’s worth spending money on devices like that. Pollen settles quickly. The one exception is if you’re cat allergic, and you have cats, we do see a benefit from those filters but otherwise not so much.”

Some people turn to honey or bee pollen to treat symptoms. Does that work?

“Theoretically, bee pollen or honey make sense, except that they actually have the wrong pollen in them. It’s from insect-pollinated plants, and those aren’t the ones causing problems. There’s very little harm in it, but we also don’t think there’s a lot of benefit to it.”

What should you avoid?

“Nasal decongestants. You can have a rebound effect. You really shouldn’t use those more than a couple days. If you have a whole season of allergies and use them all season, when you try and stop it, then it’s almost like you’re addicted to it and you can’t stop. People can run into problems with that.”

Should we just stay inside? 

“Some people have to turn on the air conditioner and seal up windows during high-pollen season, but we don’t discourage people from going outside, especially kids. We want them to be playing outside at any time of year they can be playing outside. We would rather recommend someone take a medication to be able to go outside and walk around and get the appropriate exercise, rather than staying indoors with air-conditioning and not doing anything. But as soon as you come in, jump in the shower, and get the pollen off. Throw your clothes in the wash. Don’t be tempted to re-wear them.  Don’t lay your clothes on the bed and get pollen all over the bed.”

What should you keep in your allergy care kit?

“Oral antihistamines: Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra and Xyzal are the most common, but generics are fine too. Some are a bit stronger and more likely to be sedating. You can look at the box and it can tell you that. And some are much less sedating, but maybe a little bit weaker. It just depends on how you tolerate medications in general so you can try different antihistamines. Nasal steroids: They are the most effective allergy medication, but the caveat is it takes several days for them to become effective. You need to start them early. Flonase is an over the counter option. And sinus irrigation [like a neti pot]: Using salt water can clear pollen out of your sinuses and can help a lot.”