If something has little to do with hay or fever, why call it hay fever?
Anyone who suffers from itchy eyes, runny nose, and postnasal drainage during the summer months knows what hay fever feels like, even if they’ve never called it that. Today, doctors call hay fever “seasonal allergic rhinitis.” In addition to the above symptoms, some patients suffer from coughing, fatigue, or wheezing. In over 25 years of medicine, I have yet to see someone actually have a fever, at least not in the traditional sense of overheating. Perhaps it was originally called a ‘fever’ because the difference between infection and allergy was not well understood until the last century.
As for the allergy component, certainly people can be allergic to hay, but most of us are not around hay every day. However, we are surrounded by grass and weeds, and we can be allergic to any of them. Each spring, tree pollen is the earliest environmental allergy trigger, followed by grass and then weeds. Ragweed is one of the most common symptom-inducing weeds in mid to late summer.
Here are 5 things your doctor would suggest to treat hay fever effectively:
one. Stay inside, in air conditioning. For some allergy sufferers during the summer, this is the number one option. It certainly works, but I hate to recommend avoiding fresh air and exercise. When you go outside, try to do it at a time when no one is mowing the grass around you. You may also find that certain times of the day are better or worse for your symptoms.
2. Shower after spending time outdoors. Pollen and other allergens from plants not only come into contact with the eyes and nose when breathing, but are deposited on the skin, hair and clothing. A simple shower and a change of clothes will reduce the burden of allergies and lessen their symptoms.
3. Use an over-the-counter antihistamine. Over-the-counter antihistamines are great options for preventing itching, runny nose, and postnasal drainage. Claritin, Benadryl, and Zyrtec were prescription drugs not long ago, and now they all come in cheap generics. All can be used to prevent and treat symptoms.
Four. For congestion, use pseudoephedrine. Due to the disorder with methamphetamine manufacture and abuse, most over-the-counter allergy medications were switched from pseudoephedrine to less effective decongestants a few years ago. However, the real pseudoephedrine can still be obtained over the counter at the pharmacy with your signature. Some patients, including yours, find this the most effective medication for congestion and occasionally itching and drainage as well.
5. Use topical eye drops and nasal sprays. If your symptoms are limited to the eyes, you may want to try a topical antihistamine or anti-inflammatory nasal spray, such as Zaditor. To prevent nasal symptoms, NasalCrom, another medication that was previously only available on prescription, may be effective. It works similar to prescription steroid nasal sprays (but much cheaper).
If the above suggestions do not help, see your doctor. You may have an infection rather than an allergy, or you may benefit from a short-term steroid or inhaler, or you may need allergy testing. However, most patients will find sufficient relief using one or a combination of these over-the-counter treatments.
Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, MD
