Tough Toughing Out Allergy Season

With ragweed season having already arrived in most parts of the country, many decide not to treat their allergies or assume they just have a cold or sinus infection.

An allergist from St. Louis, MO suggests instead of suffering through symptoms, to take the bull by the horns and fight your allergens.

Have a strategy to ward off allergy symptoms.

Raymond Slavin, M.D., professor of allergy at St. Louis University realizes that there are no accolades involved with toughing it out with allergy symptoms. He recommends, instead of suffering with sore throats, itchy eyes and headaches to use that energy elsewhere; like a morning run.

Dr. Slavin's four step strategy for allergy season:

1. Close windows, change filters and limit time out of doors. If these three things help your symptoms, chances are you have allergies instead of a sinus or cold infection.
2. Take one of the over-the-counter allergy medicines like Claritin, Allegra or Zyrtec.
3. If the first two strategies don't work, make an appointment to see your allergist. Your doctor can then prescribe antihistamines, prescription nasal sprays or perform a skin prick test to determine the exact allergies you have.
4. If steps one through three don't help your suffering, an allergist may recommend a series of shots designed to improve tolerance to specific allergens. This will take a few months to receive symptom relief.

Dr. Slavin's strategies are general in nature and not intended to bypass your own allergist's recommendations.