When the sun is finally back out, most people rejoice, knowing that warmth is coming back to the world. But when you have seasonal allergies, the arrival of spring means your allergies are arriving as well. The sniffling, the sneezing, and the watery eyes may not seem to be a big deal to others, but they can interfere not only with your life, but with your ability to enjoy life. In order to control your seasonal allergies, you might just take a number of medicines to stop the symptoms, but this isn't going to help you once your allergy symptoms begin. Instead, you need to have a plan for prevention that starts long before the robins are singing.

A Cold or Allergies?

While you might be feeling sniffly as the sun begins to shine, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have allergies. Often, the cold season and the allergy season coincide, making it difficult to know what symptoms are actually because of an allergic reaction. What you want to keep in mind is that colds or flus and allergies have similar, but not identical symptoms.

Colds/Flus

• Fever
• Cough
• Congestion
• Sneezing
• Fatigue

Allergies

• Sneezing
• Sniffling
• Fatigue
• Puffy eyes
• Runny nose


Another way to test whether you have a cold or allergies is to think about how long you have experienced your symptoms. If you suddenly felt ill, chances are good you probably have the flu or a cold. But allergies come on a bit more slowly, as the allergens build up in the air. You might also notice that changing your environment changes your symptoms – another sign you have allergies and not an infection.

It can help to start keeping a journal log of the symptoms you have, where you have them, and what makes them subside. After a while, you will begin to see what the true problem is.

Controlling your Environment

As with any allergic reaction, the best way to control seasonal allergies is to control your environment. In your home, it would be a good idea to install some sort of air filtration system. The floor models work well to help clean the air, but a HEPA filter system in your air ducts is going to be the best way to ensure you are always breathing allergen-free air. If this system isn't within your price range, simply start the allergy season with an appointment to get your air ducts cleaned. There are a number of different companies who can do this, removing any dirt or allergens and installing clean air filters to help keep the air clean.

You may also want to avoid being outdoors when allergens are particularly dense in the air. Many weather stations can tell you when pollen counts will be high – generally in the midday hours when the dew has burned away from the foliage.

But if you're in an office building and you're noticing you have allergy symptoms, you might want to invest in a smaller air filter as well as a few potted, non-flowering plants. These will help to clean the air in your vicinity, while also helping to make your office area pleasing to the eye.

Natural Allergy Help

In order to help your body fight off allergic reactions on its own, you may want to look to natural healing methods. Using a neti pot, for example, can help to clean out your airways and remove any pollen or other allergens that you might have breathed in. You simply fill this pot with warm salt water and pour the liquid into your nasal cavity as the package directs. People have found using this sort of system can even prevent allergies from taking hold, especially when you start before allergy season begins.

Homeopathic remedies are another way to stimulate your body's natural healing systems. By looking for remedies which target your specific allergies or perhaps your symptoms, you will encourage your body to fight the allergens on its own, allowing your sniffles to subside.

Taking Your Medications Now

If you are already on allergy medications, you will want to start taking these medications long before the first flower of the year blooms. This way, you will have a constant level of the medications in your bloodstream when the allergy season hits. When you start taking medications after your symptoms have already started, you might not get the same preventative effect. Plus, your allergic response may be too tough to tackle.

No matter how severe your seasonal allergies are, there are a number of different ways you can begin to manage your symptoms. By looking into prevention, natural cures, and traditional prescriptions, you can enter this new season sniffle-free.