Allergy expert gives tips on seasonal allergies

Spring has sprung, and the battle with seasonal allergies is underway in earnest.

But there’s a lot folks can do to manage their pollen-produced misery, according to Dr. Zachary Rubin, a Chicago-area pediatrician and allergy expert.

“There’s a lot of different issues at play when it comes to seasonal allergies, especially as tree pollen counts are starting to climb,” Rubin said in an interview with HealthDay TV.

“It’s not just about medications. It’s about lifestyle changes to reduce exposure to what you are allergic to,” he said.

For example, people with allergies might need to limit their outdoor time during specific times of the day, Rubin said.

“As an example, if you have a tree pollen allergy, you may need to minimize the amount of time that you spend outdoors if you know that the pollen counts are going to be very high that day,” Rubin said.

“Pollen counts tend to be highest in the morning, especially if it’s dry and windy,” he continued. “And you want to keep your windows and doors closed as much as possible to avoid the outside air with those pollen grains coming into your home.”

Folks with allergies should also consider their clothes, shoes and even their bodies when trying to minimize their exposure to pollen, Rubin said.

“You are going to collect pollen on yourself, so you want to make sure that you are changing your clothes as soon as possible, keeping your shoes in one place in the house and bathing at nighttime, so you’re washing away all those pollen grains,” Rubin said.

People might even consider washing out their nose, using a neti pot or rinsing bottle, Rubin added.

“We brush our teeth every day. Why aren’t we cleaning our nose every day?” Rubin said. “We have all these irritants, allergens, mucus in our nose. It’s a dirty place. It’s meant to trap all those things to help you from getting sick, but where is that going to go if you don’t clean it out?”

Unfortunately, these habits won’t completely eliminate a person’s risk of allergies. In that case, folks will have to turn to medicines, Rubin said.

Antihistamine pills like Benadryl work by blocking histamine, a substance produced by the immune system in response to allergy triggers, Rubin said.

“They treat primarily itching, runny nose, sneezing,” Rubin said. “It does not do a good job with nasal congestion or post-nasal drip or headaches because there’s a lot more inflammation that’s going on that’s outside of the chemical histamine.”

Newer second-generation antihistamines like Claritin, Zyrtec, Xyzal and Allegra tend to have fewer side effects than old guns like Benadryl, and they last longer in a person’s body, Rubin noted.

Another treatment option can be nasal sprays that contain steroids or antihistamines, Rubin said.

“You have things like Flonase, Nasonex or Nasacort that (contain) a steroid that helps shrink down that tissue, takes away that generalized inflammation,” Rubin said.

However, steroid nasal sprays require some forethought.

“You need to start that medication several days before you expect symptoms because it takes time to change that immune response through the medication,” Rubin said.

Nasal antihistamines like Astepro are also available, but folks should brace themselves for a very bitter taste, Rubin noted.

“It’s more fast acting than something like Flonase, because it’s an antihistamine medication,” he said. “Not quite as effective, but I find using both of them in combination can be very beneficial for many of my patients.”

Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Spring has sprung, and the battle with seasonal allergies is underway in earnest.

But there’s a lot folks can do to manage their pollen-produced misery, according to Dr. Zachary Rubin, a Chicago-area pediatrician and allergy expert.

“There’s a lot of different issues at play when it comes to seasonal allergies, especially as tree pollen counts are starting to climb,” Rubin said in an interview with HealthDay TV.

“It’s not just about medications. It’s about lifestyle changes to reduce exposure to what you are allergic to,” he said.

For example, people with allergies might need to limit their outdoor time during specific times of the day, Rubin said.

“As an example, if you have a tree pollen allergy, you may need to minimize the amount of time that you spend outdoors if you know that the pollen counts are going to be very high that day,” Rubin said.

“Pollen counts tend to be highest in the morning, especially if it’s dry and windy,” he continued. “And you want to keep your windows and doors closed as much as possible to avoid the outside air with those pollen grains coming into your home.”

Folks with allergies should also consider their clothes, shoes and even their bodies when trying to minimize their exposure to pollen, Rubin said.

“You are going to collect pollen on yourself, so you want to make sure that you are changing your clothes as soon as possible, keeping your shoes in one place in the house and bathing at nighttime, so you’re washing away all those pollen grains,” Rubin said.

People might even consider washing out their nose, using a neti pot or rinsing bottle, Rubin added.

“We brush our teeth every day. Why aren’t we cleaning our nose every day?” Rubin said. “We have all these irritants, allergens, mucus in our nose. It’s a dirty place. It’s meant to trap all those things to help you from getting sick, but where is that going to go if you don’t clean it out?”

Unfortunately, these habits won’t completely eliminate a person’s risk of allergies. In that case, folks will have to turn to medicines, Rubin said.

Antihistamine pills like Benadryl work by blocking histamine, a substance produced by the immune system in response to allergy triggers, Rubin said.

“They treat primarily itching, runny nose, sneezing,” Rubin said. “It does not do a good job with nasal congestion or post-nasal drip or headaches because there’s a lot more inflammation that’s going on that’s outside of the chemical histamine.”

Newer second-generation antihistamines like Claritin, Zyrtec, Xyzal and Allegra tend to have fewer side effects than old guns like Benadryl, and they last longer in a person’s body, Rubin noted.

Another treatment option can be nasal sprays that contain steroids or antihistamines, Rubin said.

“You have things like Flonase, Nasonex or Nasacort that (contain) a steroid that helps shrink down that tissue, takes away that generalized inflammation,” Rubin said.

However, steroid nasal sprays require some forethought.

“You need to start that medication several days before you expect symptoms because it takes time to change that immune response through the medication,” Rubin said.

Nasal antihistamines like Astepro are also available, but folks should brace themselves for a very bitter taste, Rubin noted.

“It’s more fast acting than something like Flonase, because it’s an antihistamine medication,” he said. “Not quite as effective, but I find using both of them in combination can be very beneficial for many of my patients.”

Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.