Seasonal Allergies

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Search Advocates' Corner Search the current Agency with a Keyword Filtered Topic Search Seasonal Allergies An allergy is when your body reacts badly to something that doesn’t bother most people. Someone can be allergic to:

• A food
• A medicine
• A cat or dog
• A plant or flower

Some allergies happen mostly during the spring, summer or fall.

• These are called “seasonal allergies”.
• Seasonal allergies can also be called “hay fever.”

You may have seasonal allergies if, each year at the same time, you:

• Have itchy, watery eyes
• Have a stuffy or runny nose
• Have an itchy nose and throat
• Have a swollen face or a headache
• Sneeze or cough a lot
• Have trouble breathing

Why do seasonal allergies only happen during certain seasons?

• Because seasonal allergies are caused by pollen.
• Pollen is powder that comes from trees, weeds and grasses as they grow during the year.

Pollen is tiny and blows in the air – like dust.

• When you breathe it in you may have an allergic reaction.
• The level of pollen in the air can be different on different days.
• To find out how much pollen is in the air where you live, check out this website.

Seasonal allergies are very common.One out of five people has one.

• You’re even more likely to have a seasonal allergy if:
• You’re allergic to other things like dust or animals
• You have asthma or eczema
• Other people in your family have seasonal allergies
• People with seasonal allergies are more likely to develop asthma.

Seasonal allergies can make it hard for you to breathe.

• It’s important to get treatment.
• Call your doctor’s office and describe your symptoms.
• Follow your doctor’s orders.

How is a seasonal allergy different from a cold or the flu?

• Seasonal allergies can make you sneeze and cough, have a stuffy or runny nose, or swollen sinuses.
• But a cold or the flu can make you feel the same way!

If you are allergic to pollen, try to avoid it.

• Stay inside on warm, windy days when lots of pollen is in the air.
• Use air conditioning and air filters at home.
• Change your furnace filters regularly.
• Close car windows.
• Wear a dust mask and wrap-around sunglasses outside.
• Take a shower to rinse pollen off yourself.

It’s easy to treat some allergies.

• If you have a stuffy nose, a hot shower may help you breathe more easily.
• If your eyes are swollen and itchy, cover them with a cool, damp cloth.
• Ask your doctor about other ways to relieve allergy symptoms without medicines.

Medication can treat serious allergy symptoms. Your doctor may give you medication that can:

• Clear your nose
• Stop itchy eyes
• Control your allergic reaction

Talk with your doctor before you take any medication – even over-the-counter medication advertised on TV! You can check out these links to learn more about seasonal allergies:

• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
• Web MD Allergies Health Center
• Mayo Clinic