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Spring has arrived, flowers are in bloom, green grass is growing, and your allergies are kicking into high gear. Along with the beauty of spring comes an upswing of pollen in the air, which for many of us can mean watery eyes, runny noses, and lots of sneezing. If allergies tend to irritate you every spring, you don’t have to let allergy symptoms run your life. Knowing when to see a doctor about allergies and what to expect during your appointment can help you discover the right solutions for treating your seasonal allergies; freeing you from uncomfortable symptoms and adverse allergy side effects like chronic sinus infections.
Why You Experience Allergies
In order to understand allergy treatment, it’s helpful to know what exactly causes allergic reactions in the first place. With seasonal allergies, an abundance of pollen, mold, and dust can trigger your immune system to start fighting off these substances when you are exposed to them. In other words, allergies occur because your immune system confuses otherwise harmless substances for viruses or bacteria that are trying to attack the whole body. As a result, the immune system overreacts, causing you to feel the classic symptoms of seasonal allergies. Most springtime allergy sufferers will not experience extreme reactions that lead to anaphylaxis, but it is important to recognize this threat with certain allergens like insect stings and various foods, which are known to cause more severe symptoms.
What an Allergist Can Do to Help
Many seasonal allergy sufferers don’t actually know what exactly they are allergic to, making it difficult to avoid these triggers. To resolve this issue, your doctor may order an allergy test to narrow down potential offenders. Additionally, your allergist might ask about your daily habits and lifestyle and take note of how these details align with your allergy symptoms. From here, the doctor can present different treatment options and lifestyle changes that will let you breathe easier in the spring season. If you aren’t sure whether or not you should see an allergist about your springtime allergies, consider the questions below:
- Does over-the-counter medication fail to control your allergy symptoms?
- Do you regularly experience respiratory infections when allergies kick up?
- Have you ever had a severe allergic reaction that led to anaphylaxis?
- Do you have asthma or other known allergies?
- Do seasonal allergies disrupt your nightly sleep?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider scheduling an appointment with a doctor to discuss your symptoms. MeMD makes it convenient to connect with a fully qualified, board-certified medical provider from the comfort of home to get the prescription medications you need to control your allergies, along with lifestyle tips to help you avoid contact with allergens and irritants.
The post Do You Need to See a Doctor for Your Seasonal Allergies? appeared first on MeMD.
