Allergy season is back, here’s how you can minimize those symptoms

SALT LAKE CITY — Spring has sprung, which means it’s allergy season again. So what can we do to minimize some of those bothersome symptoms?

Let’s Get Moving host Maria Shilaos spoke with Dr. Son Nguyen, a family medicine physician with Optum Utah, to get some tips.

Allergies vs. a cold

Oftentimes allergy symptoms can be similar to the symptoms of a cold. However, there are ways to tell the difference.

According to Nguyen, patients with allergies often experience watery eyes, sneezing, and itchiness, which are not common cold symptoms. For a cold, people typically experience coughing, sore throats, headaches, and fatigue. They may also experience nasal congestion, which Nguyen said can also be present in an allergic reaction.

Nguyen said the easiest way to identify whether you’re reacting to an allergy or to a cold is by talking to your doctor, but you can also potentially figure it out based on what provokes the reaction.

“If you know you’re allergic to certain things and you come into contact with those things—maybe a pet, maybe being exposed to something in the environment, … something that you know triggered an allergic reaction in the past—and you start having symptoms, that might lead you down more toward the diagnosis that maybe this is an allergic reaction.”

When to seek help from a doctor

While over-the-counter medication are helpful, they tend to only be effective in controlling mild symptoms.

“I would say it would be time to talk to your doctor if you’re feeling like your symptoms are not well controlled with the over-the-counter medication and it is affecting your quality of life,” Nguyen said.

Allergy treatment methods

The best and most obvious thing to do, Nguyen mentioned, is to remove yourself from being exposed to whatever is causing your allergic reaction.

“That, by far, is the best treatment you can do for yourself. So if you know you’re allergic to something, remove yourself, or try to avoid coming to contact with those things that can trigger your allergic reaction.”

However, there are some other treatment methods. For moderate allergies, most of them can be treated with nasal spray and oral medication.

“In terms of treatment for moderate to severe, or very severe, allergy treatment, yes, injection (and) immunotherapy medication are some of the newest treatments for allergy. And often we reserve this for patients who have failed other treatments that are more accessible and more easily tolerable.”

Nguyen also suggested taking an allergy test as it can give you a better understanding of what’s triggering your reaction, which can help you remove yourself from the cause in the future.

What about the inevitable spring allergies?

If you’re allergic to something in the environment, such as pollen, Nguyen said it’s best to be proactive.

“Some patients will elect to wear a mask when they do things outdoors to kind of avoid some those pollen coming into contact with them or inhaling some of those things that can trigger a reaction.”

Another option is to take nasal spray or medication before you go outside.

“The over-the-counter medication, including steroid nasal spray or medication like ZYRTEC, can be taken as a prevention medication before you’ve been exposed to something, if you decided to. I think that it is an option for patients who know they’re going to be in an environment where they might have an allergic reaction. Taking those medication in advance can certainly help with that,” Nguyen said.

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