Alleviating springtime allergies
As all the plants are budding and blooming in the dawn of spring, many students are groaning thinking about the bottles of allergy medicine it will take to keep their noses from running.
According to www.achooallergy.com, 55 percent of Americans test positively to one or more allergens. The most common allergens include dust, mold, pollens, animal dander, eggs, milk, penicillin, peanuts and latex. Right now, pollens are the most prominent allergen because spring is officially known as allergy season, according to the Achoo Allergy FAQ.
Achoo Allergy explains that spring is the worst time for an allergic disease called rhinitis, which is most commonly known as hay fever.
Alex Schmall is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering who experiences hay fever from the middle of spring into early winter. He said the symptoms he experiences include a runny nose, a lot of congestion in his throat and itchy eyes. When his eyes get itchy, he said he cannot rub them or they will become swollen. Throughout allergy season he said he experiences these symptoms multiple times a week. Schmall said he has never been to a doctor for his condition because he found Benadryl works wonders for him every time he feels the allergy symptoms coming on.
“Sometimes at night and during the day it has gotten to the point where I’m hacking for 10 to 15 minutes. Then I take a Benadryl when I can breathe for 40 seconds. It sucks. You can call it an episode,” Schmall said.
The Benadryl takes effect quickly for Schmall. He said his allergy symptoms become less intense immediately and then a little while after that he can function normally again.
Some are allergic to more than foreign particles floating around in the air. Dalton Bennett is a freshman and accounting major who is allergic to cats and some types of grass along with the pollens that the spring season brings.
“My dad has hay fever and grass allergies and my mom is allergic to animals. I got a nice combination of both of them,” Bennett said.
Bennett said he, like Schmall, has never seen a doctor, but has found ways to get rid of the tickling he gets in his throat when all the flowers are in full bloom. His own remedy is a combination of Wal-Mart brand allergy relief medicine, eye drops and sometimes Claritin. If a person has allergies and knows that they are going somewhere that could spark their allergy symptoms, taking medicine ahead of time is a wise idea, Bennett said.
“If the allergy symptoms take you by surprise, then medicine takes one to two hours to work,” Bennett said.
By taking medicine before allergies kick in, Bennett said other students can attempt to alleviate the inconvenience of spring allergies.
–catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu