If you are like me, you have a love-hate relationship with Spring. The temperature is perfect, the grass is green, and the blossoms smell amazing! Then, all of that hits my sinuses like a freight train. I can’t stop sneezing, my eyes are itchy, my nose runs, and my ears get plugged up. I hate seasonal allergies! This year has been particularly bad for hay fever. We had a lot of rain and moisture in the early winter and with warm temperatures in late winter everything bloomed early and the grass/weeds grew tall. So many patients have come in complaining. Ultimately, seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, happens when the body overreacts, specifically the antibody IgE, to environmental triggers like pollen, grass, or mold, which then causes the mast cells to release histamine.  Here is my advice on what you can do and some things that I can do to help.

1. Diet. Believe it or not, there is a direct correlation with gut health and hay-fever symptoms. Decreased inflammation in the gut leads to decreased inflammation in the other areas of the body that produce mucus. Cutting out refined sugar and simple carbohydrates is a good start. Giving up other inflammatory foods like most dairy, soy, gluten, and peanuts, can help significantly reduce your immune response to pollen and grass. My symptoms this year have been very mild thanks to this approach. For the last month I have been eating an anti-inflammatory diet under the direction of some friends who have coached patients for years and have started a new approach (more on them in a later article). I can honestly say that even with my big yard and hours of weed-eating very tall grass in my ravine, I have had very few bouts of sneezing and eye irritation, and my sinuses are clear.
2. Sinus rinses. Cleaning the sinuses can help reduce the symptoms of hay fever. When the mucus lining of the body is exposed to allergens or irritants like pollen, a histamine reaction occurs which opens blood vessels and produces more mucus to coat the offending particles. The increase in mucus creates a bigger trap for the pollen and sets up a vicious cycle. Using warm saline water and a device to pour or squirt it up into the nasal sinuses will help rinse out the irritating pollen and the excess mucus. Nettie pots and other devices are useful for this.
3. Chiropractic care. Getting adjusted can make a difference. Increased fluid due to histamine typically blocks the lymph nodes in the head and neck which then prevents the ears and sinuses from draining. Neck adjustments promote muscle contraction that moves lymph through the nodes allowing the fluid to drain. Adjusting the cranial bones, which I regularly do but is not common practice for all chiropractors, will also help push mucus from the sinuses. I also have some adjustments to help clear the Eustacian tubes. Finally, getting adjusted can affect the nervous system in a way that calms down the over reaction that causes hay fever.
4. Defense. It is not always very practical to stay inside for the duration of allergy season, but it can help. Obviously, this means keeping the windows and doors closed even though the weather is often perfect. Certain masks and air filters can also create a defensive barrier that doesn’t allow too many allergens to get in. For those of us that have to work in their yard, showering after coming inside and taking off the clothes with the pollen on it, reduces the exposure and the potential for symptoms.
5. Medication. I get it. Sometimes the natural ways are just not enough. It is not in my scope of practice to recommend medications but for me, when the other stuff is not enough, I will take a Loratidine pill in the morning and, if it is really bad, I will use the nasal spray fluticasone propionate. Using a corticosteroid nasal spray can help reduce a lot of the inflammatory symptoms like a runny nose, congestion, and itchy eyes. Loratadine is an antihistamine so it helps temper the immune response. Allergy shots administered by an MD can also be very effective. Typically, you are injected with small amounts of allergens to help your body get used to them and not overreact. There are also some very effective herbal remedies that I have taken. They tend to work for a few hours and can be pretty expensive, but they do work.

There you have it! It is not a comprehensive list, by any means. However, one or all of these solutions can make the difference between a miserable Spring and a bearable, if not enjoyable, one.