ANNOUNCER: Springtime usually means enjoying the outdoors after a long cold winter. But for some people just being outside in the spring can mean trouble.
LYNETTE BASSIE: I had itchy eyes, runny nose. My throat was itching also. I had sneezing, a whole bunch of stuff, you know.
ANNOUNCER: Lynette Bassie is among the 40 million people in the United States who suffer from allergies. In the springtime they're often caused by grass and trees.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: Most commonly, people are allergic to tree pollen in the springtime, grass in the spring through summer and then ragweed and other weed pollens in the fall. And almost any tree is capable of inducing allergic reaction if you're programmed that way.
ANNOUNCER: But while the causes differ, allergy sufferers share a host of uncomfortable symptoms.
STEPHANIE GURLAND: Initially my symptoms were just exhaustion; I slept a lot. And I was -- I never really breathed through my nose; I breathed through my mouth.
LYNETTE BASSIE: I feel like pulling my hair out. I was going crazy. I was going crazy with the sneezing and the constant coughing. It was really terrible.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: I use the "F" words, because they always come in and complain that they're in a Fog, their head feels Full, their thinking is Fuzzy, they're always Fatigued, and those are general symptoms that people will put up with.
BETH CORN, MD: If someone has a cold for more than two weeks, it's usually not a cold. And that's when they would go see a doctor.
ANNOUNCER: Sometimes the doctor will do allergy tests to see what might be causing the symptoms.
BETH CORN, MD: What that involved is just wiping off the skin and introducing -- with a needle -- a small amount of the proteins from the specific grass and trees from that particular area where a person lives.
And you look to see if there is what we call a "wheal and flare" response. If there is a little red bump that develops ten or fifteen minutes after the allergen, the protein is introduced underneath the skin. If there is a reaction like that, then that's consistent with allergy.
ANNOUNCER: Once diagnosed, a person with allergies can help themselves by becoming more aware of their surroundings -- like keeping track of the pollen count.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: The pollen count is a measure of how much pollen is actually in the air at any time. It does help some people to know that if the pollen counts are very high they should consider taking preventive medicine before they go outside during the day.
ANNOUNCER: And while there's no changing what's in the air, there are ways to change how much it affects you.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: The environment you're in, if you have springtime allergies, is absolutely critical. First the obvious, if you're inside versus outside, inside will have far less pollen assuming that it is tree pollen in the springtime.
BETH CORN, MD: You're better off sleeping in an air-conditioned room. If you're taking a long car ride, keep the window shut, put the air conditioner on. If you're outside and you're exposed to allergen, after you're outside, you should come inside, take off that clothing that was exposed to the allergen. You might even want to take a shower to wash some of the allergen off and then you'll feel a lot better.
ANNOUNCER: But for many people with allergies, medication is often needed as well.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: The first step is usually to try treating allergies with over the counter medications. Claritin, a non-sedating antihistamine just went over the counter and that will probably help a lot of people. The other over the counter antihistamine drugs, such as Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton are also excellent but do induce sedation.
ANNOUNCER: Other medications like decongestants and steroids are also very effective.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: Over-the-counter decongestants such as Sudafed will help shrink down congested membranes and that may help people.
BETH CORN, MD: The corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications. And these come in the form of nasal sprays and also inhalers. And these are prescription medications to decrease inflammation.
ANNOUNCER: Deciding what's the best treatment can be confusing.
BETH CORN, MD: That's why patients should see an allergist to know what they're allergic to, to know what the best medication is for them, whether it's a combination of a nose spray and eye drops, a nose spray, eye drops plus an antihistamine or just an antihistamine.
Every patient is different. Some patients will only benefit from a sedating medication. Most patients, though, benefit from non-sedating medications. And it's hard to say which patient is going to prefer an over-the-counter medication or a prescription medication.
ANNOUNCER: But sometimes medications just aren't enough. In those cases, experts recommend immunotherapy, known as allergy shots.
GILLIAN SHEPHERD, MD: What is done with immunotherapy is to actually give you small injections of what you're allergic to, such as tree pollen. And by doing that on a regular basis, you basically manipulate the immune system and turn it off so it sees tree pollen and it just doesn't react, like a normal person.
ANNOUNCER: Untreated, allergies can make life miserable.
LYNETTE BASSIE: I don't want to get out of the bed with the way I feel from my allergies. Then I would have to. Sometimes it stopped me from doing things I really want to do, like being outside, enjoying the day.
STEPHANIE GURLAND: It's kind of a thing where you wake up and you feel terrible the minute you get up in the morning. You just are so groggy and uncomfortable.
BETH CORN, MD: Very often, an adult patient will come in and they will complain about their allergies to the point that they were sitting in a meeting and the whole meeting was focused on them, because they were constantly clearing their throat and blowing their nose, sneezing. This can be very disruptive and very embarrassing.
ANNOUNCER: The good news is that today springtime doesn't have to be seen through the haze of an allergy attack.
BETH CORN, MD: So if you know that you have allergies, don't wait until the thick of the season to come in and start getting treated. Come in early in the season or even two weeks before the season starts so that you can be loaded up with medications so that the allergens will not be as detrimental.
LYNETTE BASSIE: I do think there is help out there for allergy, people that suffer with allergy, because I've been there. It's working, the medication is working.
©2007 Healthology, Inc.