4 Strategies for Managing Allergies in Fall

You have friends who love the fall season, but your congestion, watery eyes, and sneezing are tipping your opinion in the opposite direction.

Seasonal allergies are common in Americans of all ages — they affect more than a quarter of adults and nearly 19% of kids. So, you’re certainly not alone in your struggles with allergies. 

These high numbers also mean that we have a good deal of experience to call upon to help you better navigate seasonal allergies. The extensive team of healthcare providers at Michigan Avenue Primary Care includes ear, nose, and throat experts who specialize in allergies, so we turned to them for a few good management and preventive care strategies. 

1. Be prepared with the right allergy toolkit

The first step is to sit down with one of our allergy specialists to ensure you have everything in place for your fall allergies. To start, we might perform some allergy testing to ensure that your symptoms are related to seasonal triggers, such as ragweed pollen and leaf mold spores.

From there, we can make sure you have the right fall allergy toolkit, which might include:

• Decongestants
• Antihistamines
• Inhalers
• Eye drops
• Steroid nasal sprays

We can also explore whether you’re a good candidate for immunotherapy, a more sustainable solution that can significantly alleviate seasonal allergies if you respond well.

1. Watch the weather and pollen counts

Another great practice is to keep a close eye on the weather to identify potentially problematic conditions like wind. Wind can kick up pollen and leaf molds, so it’s a good idea to avoid going outdoors as much as you can on high wind days. 

To give you an idea, ragweed can produce up to a billion grains of pollen in just one season, and, when they take to the air, it spells trouble for people with seasonal allergies. A great time to go out is after it rains, which can tamp down all the allergens flying around.

When it comes to monitoring pollen, which is also an important strategy, many weather services include pollen counts, and you should monitor these carefully before heading out.

1. Clean the air at home

While there’s not much that you can do about the air outside, you can manage the air indoors. First, ensure your windows are closed on high-pollen or windy days.

It’s also a great practice to outfit your home with a HEPA air purifier and/or dehumidifier. These appliances can effectively remove allergens from the air you breathe at home. 

1. Keeping pollen and leaf mold out of the house

When you, your family, and your pets head outdoors, you carry allergens back into the house with you. So, it’s a great idea to leave your clothes in the laundry room, shower when you get back inside at the end of the day, and wipe off your dog or cat when they come in.

Anything you can do to minimize allergens in the home will preserve the safe space you’ve created from fall allergies.

For a more personalized and detailed fall allergy management plan of attack, we invite you to contact us at our clinic in Chicago, Illinois, which is located in The Loop, to sit down with one of our allergy specialists. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.