The Air Quality

Be prepared to sneeze, sniffle and wheeze if you aren’t already. This year’s pollen allergy season is considered one of the worst scientists have seen. With 40 million Americans suffering from indoor/outdoor allergies, that’s a lot of people reaching for the antihistamine or tissues all at once. If you’re in the NorthEast especially, the pollen is probably a bit uncomfortable for you who have pollen allergies and asthma.

To blame for all this pollen is our weather this year. We’ve had cool temperatures in February and March which has kept flowering trees from starting to do their pollination. As you may have noticed now, it seems like spring is busting out all over? That’s because everything seems to have bloomed overnight. Well it did!

Some may think their antihistamine or other allergy medicine “isn’t working” but that’s not necessarily the case. This is just a lot of pollen for their medication to manage all at once. It’s like saying a 12 ounce cup doesn’t work as a cup if it doesn’t hold 30 ounces of fluid. It will hold 12 ounces and the other liquid will spill out.

How can you make yourself more comfortable? Sometimes there isn’t a magic pill or wand – but try these tips for more pollen allergy comfort.

If your regular medicine isn’t working, see your allergist or general doctor for suggestions. They may switch you to something different or add another allergy medication to help your symptoms.

Vacuum your home regularly and enthusiastically. Remember that pollen comes into your home, tracked in on your feet, on your clothing, in your hair, on your pets and winds up on your furniture, on the rugs and everywhere you can think of. The more you can remove, the more comfortable you can be. We suggest vacuuming once or twice each week.

Wash your clothing the moment you are done wearing it. This will remove the pollen from it. Even simply putting worn clothing in the washing machine and shutting the lid will keep your from inhaling the pollen for the moment. Doing more wash will give you fresh clothes to wear that won’t have added pollen on them.

If you exercise outdoors, try to do so early in the morning or late in the day. Try not to exercise in the middle of the day when the sun is warmest and the pollen seems to bug us the most. Consider taking a shower when  you come in the door to remove pollen from  your hair and change your workout clothes immediately.

If you’re suffering remember you’re not alone. Many states are dealing with added pollen right now. While we have added pollen now, the pollen will decrease shortly. It is simply a matter of being comfortable during this period until summer comes and the pollen returns to a normal level.

Remember to see your doctor if your symptoms change for any reason.