How to nip spring allergies in the bud

AccuWeather

Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Sandra Hong gives some tips on how to beat spring allergies.

Transcript

00:00 - First day of meteorological spring is actually tomorrow,

00:03 but many folks, spring-like weather has already arrived

00:07 and that comes with springtime allergies.

00:10 Meteorologist Tony Labak joins us now

00:12 with some tips on how to combat them.

00:14 - Yes, meteorologist Sneezy here at your service today.

00:20 And normally when I start a story like this,

00:23 this time of year, I'm gonna ask you guys there,

00:25 watching from home, how many of you are ready for spring?

00:28 Well, as Melissa has been alluding to all night,

00:31 a lot of folks have been really already enjoying

00:33 that spring-like weather,

00:34 but with that comes those springtime allergies

00:37 and you are certainly not the only one suffering from that.

00:39 And there are some easy ways to combat that

00:42 this time of year.

00:43 The winds of spring have stirred

00:48 and if you're prone to spring allergies,

00:50 it's time to start preparing.

00:52 And with many folks enjoying spring-like weather

00:54 in the final weeks of winter,

00:55 some are already experiencing symptoms.

00:58 - As we start getting warmer days

01:00 and there's less snow on the ground,

01:02 we'll start seeing the trees start budding

01:04 and the tree season is the springtime.

01:07 And so we get a lot more pollination

01:09 during that period of time.

01:10 And so it's floating in the air

01:11 and we absolutely can start getting allergy symptoms.

01:14 - Allergy symptoms include itchy eyes, nose and throat,

01:17 sneezing, coughing, congestion, and post-nasal drip.

01:21 So what can you do to provide some relief?

01:23 Keep your windows closed.

01:24 It may be tempting to open them up as the weather warms,

01:27 but it's an easy way for pollen to get into your home.

01:29 You should also change your clothes

01:31 and take a shower at night

01:32 so you're not bringing pollen inside.

01:34 And pets who will go outside

01:35 should stay off your bed as well.

01:37 - The types of medications that work extremely well

01:39 for allergies are things like the nasal steroids.

01:43 There are also nasal antihistamines that can help

01:46 if the nasal steroids aren't.

01:47 And then the oral antihistamines

01:49 can actually help with a lot more of the itching

01:52 and the sneezing and the dripping.

01:54 Dr. Hong says if you continue to have issues

01:56 with your allergies or aren't sure what triggers them,

01:58 consult an allergist.

01:59 You can also download the free AccuWeather app

02:02 or log on to accuweather.com

02:03 to see the daily allergy index.

02:05 - Now, of course, the daily allergy index,

02:11 if you are a sufferer for allergies, Melissa,

02:12 is probably like the AccuWeather real feel.

02:14 When it's really, really cold,

02:16 you probably don't wanna see how bad it actually is.

02:19 And for some folks, it is really bad this time of year.

02:22 But a lot of the over-the-counter medicines

02:23 are able to combat that for most people.

02:26 Unfortunately, there's that small percentage of y'all

02:28 that need a little extra help with that this time of year.

02:30 But we're all in this together

02:33 and we'll all get through it together.

02:34 Remember, with the warm weather

02:36 comes great responsibility and great cost.

02:38 And sometimes that is a lot of sneezing.

02:41 - You're first from meteorologist Sneezy, I believe.

02:46 Is that our new name?

02:47 - That is the new name this time of year.

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