7 tips on how to cope with hay fever effectively

If you suffer from seasonal allergy or year-round allergic rhinitis, this post is for you!

Allergy is an annoying disease that is chronic. Every year more and more people develop allergy. Some doctors attribute it to poor environment; others claim that high hygiene standards prevent contact of the body with many antigens, which causes insufficient loading of the immune system especially in children. Statistics say that around 8% of Americans older than 18 suffer from allergic rhinitis or pollinosis also known as hay fever.

What is hay fever?

It is a seasonal disease caused by an allergic reaction to plant pollen. Normally, pollen isn’t harmful to the human body. So allergy is an atypical reaction, an error in the immune response to the external factor which is, unfortunately, very widespread. The reason for the development of the disease is the pollen of mainly wind-pollinated plants, since these are rather small particles of sizes about 0.02-0.04 mm, which facilitates their penetration into the respiratory tract.

Symptoms of hay fever appear almost at the same time every year - runny nose, redness of the eyes (conjunctivitis), dermatitis, fatigue, irritability, sore throat, cough, sometimes asthma attacks, rarely skin manifestations. A fever develops, hence the name of the disease.

The disease is often confused with the common cold, which delays the treatment of patients for professional medical care, sometimes for many years.

What can you do to cope with hay fever effectively?

1. First of all, you should not hesitate to use antihistamines, i.e. medicines that suppress the immune response to allergens. Such medicines as Allegra or other brands of drugs based on Fexofenadine help quickly eliminating all of the symptoms without causing fatigue. These are new generation medicines taking which you won’t feel sleepy as from the use of previous antihistamines. If you know that you have hay fever, buy Allegra or an analog before the allergy season and start taking the pills with the first signs of allergy not waiting for a full flare-up.

2. Consider installing air filters and moisturizers. These devices will help you keep your home safe from outside allergens so you will feel safe and not exposed to the irritants. Besides, it is advised to keep your doors and windows closed during the high pollen season.

3. Once you are home, take all of your clothes that can have pollen on them, take a shower, and wash your head. It is also advised to wash the clothes every day to avoid the accumulation of pollen.

4. Rinse your nose with salty water. If you don’t feel like making salty water yourself, you can easily find salty water sprays with specially cleaned water at your nearest pharmacy. These sprays are sold without Rx and are easy to use. They not only help washing out the allergen from your nose but also moisturize and calm down the irritated mucosa.

5. Eat your local honey. Local honey contains the same pollen you are allergic to but in a different amount and form. It can help you develop tolerance to this type of pollen and also improve your immune system. But please eat it moderately not to cause a reverse effect.

6. Take vitamin D. It is proven that the deficiency of this vitamin contributes to allergy development so it’s advisable to use supplements containing this vitamin.

7. Include probiotics into your daily diet. It is known that a powerful immune system is based on good intestinal functioning. Thus, probiotics can also help you cope with an allergy.

How to save on hay fever drugs?

I have already said that Allegra is the best modern medication for hay fever but it is quite expensive considering that you need to take it daily for quite a bit. I recommend you opt for a generic version of the drug and buy generic Allegra at an online drugstore. Generic is the same drug made by a different company. And as you know, the less advertised the brand is, the lower is the price per pill.

There is no point in spending more money on a more advertised brand when you can have the same effect and quality at a reasonably lower price.