Know Your Season

​Do seasonal allergies give you an itchy nose, congestion, or give you fits of sneezing and wheezing? You're in good company because an estimated fifty million Americans suffer from allergies every year. For every season, you can bet there's an allergy to go along with it. 

Know Your Season 

​First, it's crucial to know when allergy season is in your area, and I'll give you a hint: it's allergy season right now. No matter where you live, tree pollen usually strikes first in the early spring and is followed by grass and then weed pollen in mid to late summer. 

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​Here are two ways you can get ahead of the pollen game: 

1. Use a Pollen Forecast Map 
You can try Pollen.com or WeatherBug.com 

2. Download an App to get pollen count updates
​Both Pollen.com and WeatherBug.com have free Apps you can download on iPhone and Android.

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Prepare For Allergy Season

​In the off-season, try adding local raw honey to your daily diet. Not every allergist agrees this helps, but I know through personal experience that changing the way you consume an allergen can help your body become less sensitized to it. The honey needs to be local so its pollen is local too. If it doesn't make a difference in your allergies, you can rest assured it's antibacterial benefits are promoting improved well-being.

To keep pollen outside where it belongs, and not in your house, here are three simple tricks that'll make a considerable difference to your life. 

​1. Change Your Airfilters (and make sure they're HEPA filters)

HEPA filters trap pollutants like pollen and reduce their circulation in the air. Once you've installed them, make sure to swap them out every 30 days. If you're waking up stuffy in the mornings, it's probably time to change the filter again. And don't forget to use a HEPA filter in your vacuum too. ​

2. Leave Your Shoes Outside ​

​Spring is the golden season, and if you're not careful, you're going to track that gold right into your house and into your air supply. If everything's covered in pollen dust outside, what do you think your shoes look like at the end of the day? Leave them on the porch and keep a pair of house shoes inside the door to slip into when you get home.

3. Take Mom's Advise to Declutter and Dust ​

Pollen is this magical substance that floats in the air and lands on any available surface, like the dresser next to your bed or the windowsills in your room. The more cluttered your home is, the easier it is for dust and pollen to start settling in your house. Make sure you wipe down all surfaces with a wet cloth to capture the dust and pollen, not just push it around. 

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Planning Outside Time

​Preparing a day trip? Ragweed grows faster in the city, and its pollen is 5x as potent than it is in rural areas. If we add in the exhaust from buses and traffic, it's a recipe for trouble.
​Here are three strategies for planning your next day out. 

1.  Stay Home On Windy Days 
While self-explanatory, if it's windy outside, you're going to be slapped in the face with pollen all day and covered from head to toe when you get home. Check the weather. If it's a lousy pollen day and windy, do yourself the favor of staying home and replanning the visit. 

2.  Visit The City In The Morning 
Pollen sticks to liquid, and if dew is still on the grass, you know you're good to go, but there's something else most allergy sufferers don't realize makes their situation worse: Constant traffic in a city plus the heat from the afternoon sun create ground-level ozone (a chemical reaction) which restricts your lungs and causes congestion and coughing, worsening allergy symptoms. The hotter it gets outside, the more you're at risk, so it's better to stay home or plan your trip for the next morning. 

3.  Go Outside After It Rains 
Rain is the answer to prayer in mid to late Spring, spoken and coughed out by every red-eyed, stuffy nosed person. It's nature's way of washing away what was and clearing the way for what will be. While you're in this perfect haven of in-between time, take advantage of it by heading outside. 

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​Using a pollen forecast to prepare and plan is the best way to go. Once you pick your day, implement my tips for enjoying your day out! 

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