Achooo! It’s Allergy Time
by Dorothy Crumbly
It’s tree pollen time and every other person in Middle Georgia seems to be suffering from the yellow airborne stuff. I’m going to take the privilege of being personal and share my experiences with the wretched allergen called tree pollen. First of all, I don’t remember seeing or being affected by pollen when I grew up. Our cars didn’t gather a film of yellow dust on them, and we sat on the front porch in the spring without washing the pollen off. I can’t find a person over 70 years old who remembers, as a child, the misery that tree pollen now brings each year. Pollen makes me feel sick as if something is seriously wrong with me. I get a headache, a sore and scratchy throat, itchy and watery eyes, a drowsy, sleepy, lazy feeling and sometimes a sinus infection which leads to laryngitis for months. It seems that I get three or four months out of the year free of allergies, but spring is the worst. Based on my experience with sinus allergy and tree pollen, I will share how I have learned to tolerate the yellow menace.
First, I now follow doctor’s instructions and don’t do as I have done over the past years. One year, I called the nurse at my ENT’s office and asked her to have the doctor change my medication because what he had prescribed didn’t work. Apparently, every other allergy sufferer in Middle Georgia had called in with the same complaint, and she was a little irritated. She asked, “Are you taking your meds on schedule?” I said, “Of course, this stuff just doesn’t work.” She then asked a series of specific questions such as: “Are you taking your oral medication as directed each day whether or not you have symptoms?” “Did you start using your nasal spray before the onset of the allergy season?” My answer to each question was “no.” Then she gave me a real zinger, “If you think your medication is not working, try not taking it at all and see what happens.” In other words, as miserable as I felt, taking the medication off schedule was helping somewhat. Needless to say, she didn’t recommend a change in my medication.
However, even if I follow my doctor’s orders, there are some environmental changes that I have learned to do which are a big help. On the days when the pollen count is high, I come home and take my clothes off near the washer or in another bedroom where I don’t sleep. I want to keep the bedroom where I sleep free from excess pollen. If I’m in for the day, I take a shower. If not, I wash my face and use a wet towel to get the excess pollen off of my skin. Also, I don’t wear mousse, hair dressing oil in my hair. Pollen loves a well-greased head of African American hair, as well as mousse on straight hair for that matter. Most of the season, I wear a hat or something else (wig! lol) on my head until the pollen is gone. When I’m working in the garden, I wear a mask whether or not I know the pollen count for the day.
Finally, I highly recommend the Neti Pot as a natural way to treat allergies, nasal congestion, sinus infections, dry air, and post-nasal drip. At the pharmacist, the Neti Pot is called Sinu Cleanse and Neil Med Sinus Rinse which is a small pot or bottle that allows the use of a saline solution to run threw one side of the nostril and come out on the opposite side. When done, bend forward and blow out the excess water. Use distilled water or boiled water with the saline solution. Never use tap water. The pot and saline solution will cost less than $25.00 There are other nasal irrigation systems available at a much higher price. Therefore, I recommend anyone who has sinus allergy this time of year should follow the doctor’s orders first, apply changes to the physical environment and use a sinus rinse.
