Dr. Tania Elliot, allergist-immunologist, NYU Langone Health, says allergies are really common and more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year. She says you can really get it at any age although there is a peak when you are young and school age up to 18 and then we see another peak age 30 – 50. You can develop allergies at any time. Dr. Elliot says it’s really about the timing of the symptoms, how long they last, and remember you don’t get a fever or swollen lymph nodes with allergies. Dr. Elliot says allergies tend to itch; they tend to cause a runny nose, congestion and they tend to be associated with something, like every time you go outside you have allergies, anytime you are around a pet you start to have your symptoms and that how they can figure out exactly if it is allergies or something else.
The first thing you want to do is identify your triggers. Is it the flowers sitting next to you; is it your pet; could it be dust mites because you have symptoms when you wake up every morning and dust mites can actually live in your bed. So, what is it that is triggering your symptoms and that’s where an allergist can help. Then it is all about identifying what’s going on at the over-the-counter allergy isles which some times can be a very scary place because not all nose sprays are created equal or pills created equal so what is it that you should be taking? Dr. Elliot says her go to is Flonase Sensimist because it works directly at the source, right at your nose to address nasal congestion, itchiness, runny nose and stuffiness. She says you have to remember how to take it. It is important to take it everyday to let it build up in your system. It’s not something like I sneezed so let me get my nasal spray. Use it the duration of the allergy season and it will prevent the symptoms from occurring.
Flonase works to decrease that inflammation that occurs in your nasal passages. It calms down the allergy cells. She says the allergy cells release a chemical called histamine and a couple of other chemicals that are responsible for sort of swelling and increased mucus production. Dr. Elliot says it calms down you nasal passages and that inflammation in your nose so you can have release.
