Your Relief Blog

It’s a beautiful morning—almost like something from a movie. You wake up, press snooze on your alarm, and then meander out of your front door, where your newspaper is waiting for you. Over a nice cup of coffee, you spend a few minutes waking up and doing the daily crossword puzzle (you’re a bit old-fashioned that way). It’s only when you go to refill your coffee that you notice your hands feel a little…raw. Maybe a little itchy?

It’s not the first time this has happened, and suddenly the question crosses your mind: are you allergic to newspaper print?

Every December, it seems to be the same story: the Christmas tree goes up, and suddenly you start feeling worn down. Perhaps you experience sniffles, a plugged nose, coughing, or other yuck. So you ask yourself: Can I be allergic to Christmas trees?

After all, December should be a time for celebration, for getting together with friends and family, for appreciating beautiful holiday decorations (lights, tinsel, and trees). You don’t want to spend the season nursing a runny nose if you don’t have to.

So is it your tree making you sneeze? Or is something else going on? The answer can help you get back to enjoying the holidays.

There’s nothing quite like that first sniff of spring after a long and snowy winter. You throw open your windows, you hear the birds chirping, and you can smell spring in the air. That’s when you start sneezing. Or coughing. And throughout later March and April all you seem to be feeling is… congested.

Every spring brings the tree and mold allergy problems to life. The mold spores come out as the snow melt uncovers the molds and their spores. Each year is a bit different as to when that happens. The tree pollination is fairly fixed and occurs in about the same weeks every year! If you know what you are allergic to you can be prepared to prevent your allergy symptoms.

Our tree pollen season gets an early start in the spring in South Dakota, Southwestern Minnesota, and Northeastern Iowa. Remember that each species only pollinates for a few weeks and then is done until next year.

• Later March brings Elm, Maple, and Juniper pollen.
• April brings us alder, birch, cottonwood, and finally oak pollen.

This is the question I get asked the most!  Everyone wants to know – patients, parents, nurses, and other doctors.

What is the best allergy medicine? There are so many choices nowadays. Many of the over-the-counter allergy medications were previously available by prescription only. With so many choices on the market today, how can people decide which is best for them?

Oral antihistamines were the first class of medication available for treating allergies. When they first became available, drowsiness was a significant side effect.