How to Fight Fall Allergies

Many allergy sufferers sniffle and sneeze most from February to early summer.

Weather changes, where you live and your specific triggers, however,can cause symptoms to linger on or even start in the fall. In fact,more than two-thirds of spring allergies last year-round, reports theAmerican College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Knowing yourtriggers and how to avoid them, as well as how to treat your symptoms,will keep you feeling your best through the fall season.

Common Culprits

The pollen in plants such as burning bush, pigweed, tumbleweed,cocklebur, sagebrush, mugwort and ragweed, can trigger fall allergies.Ragweed, the most common culprit, blooms from August until Novemberand is particularly prevalent in the eastern and Midwestern parts ofthe country.

Signs and Symptoms

Seasonal allergy symptoms may include a runny or stuffy nose,sneezing, itchiness in your ears, eyes or throat, hives and swolleneyelids. Symptoms generally start to occur immediately after you'reexposed to a specific allergy-causing substance such as pollen.Inflammation of your nasal passages due to seasonal allergies can leadto sinus infections. If you develop a light fever, thick mucus, badbreath, a cough or a sore throat, you could have sinusitis—which, insome cases, requires antibiotics.

Detecting the Cause

People who have allergies to animal dander, dust or mold tend todevelop allergies to pollens as well. In other words, you may thinkyour mold allergy is causing symptoms, when you're actually reactingto pollen. Similarly, if you're allergic to one plant's pollen, you'relikely to become allergic to others. To determine the cause of yoursymptoms, consult your doctor—especially if they are severe orlong-lasting or if your usual treatment fails to work. If possible,track your flare-ups in a journal beforehand, and write down yoursymptoms as well as when and where they seem to occur. Share thejournal with your doctor to help confirm the diagnosis.

Prevention and Care

In addition to any medication recommended by your doctor, suchas antihistamines, reduce your exposure to allergens that trigger yoursymptoms throughout the fall. Keep an eye on pollen and mold counts,for example, which tend to appear in weather reports. On high-leveldays, stay indoors as much as possible. Levels tend to spike duringmidday and afternoon, so try and avoid outdoor activities then, too.When you do venture out, consider wearing a filter mask. Once youreturn indoors, wash well and change your clothes. Lastly, keep yourhouse and car doors and windows closed throughout the season.

What steps do you take to manage fall allergies?