I T ’ S T H AT T I M E O F Y E A R :
Seasonal Allergies! WORDS BY RILEY GEORGE
S
easonal allergies affect many people across the U.S. every spring. Allergies are when your system reacts to something that does not bother other people’s systems. Usually, seasonal allergies in the spring are from pollen released by
plants. Your typical allergy symptoms include sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, itchy
eyes, and itchy throat.
TREATING ALLERGIES There are a few approaches anyone suffering from seasonal allergies can take to help subside the allergies. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says there are four categories science supports in treating: psychological, physical, nutritional, or combinatorial approaches. Psychological approaches can include things such as meditation, hypnosis, music therapy, or relaxation therapy. When mixed with physical approaches, there can be some effective treatments. For example, acupuncture found evidence in 2015 that it can be an extremely effective way to treat seasonal allergies. Research also found that rinsing your sinuses with a neti pot or another form of device to rinse sinuses can be useful in treatment for many. When it comes to a nutritional approach, a few studies have found that the herb butterbur can help ease the side effects of seasonal allergies. In addition, a few studies point to honey helping relieve pollen allergies because of the small amounts of pollen that may help people build up a tolerance to it. Honey is also suggested as an anti-inflammatory agent.
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO ALLERGY TRIGGERS You can improve your seasonal allergies this spring by reducing exposure to things that can trigger allergy symptoms! •
Stay inside on dry, windy days. These kinds of days have mass amounts of pollen, so staying inside could reduce your symptoms. Your best days to go outside will be right after it rains because the rain clears up some pollen from the air.
84