Allergy Avoidance

Give pollen the brushoff to avoid seasonal allergies.

Ah, spring is in the air—and so are billions of grains of pollen released from grasses, trees and flowering plants. They’re the culprit behind seasonal allergies, the “hay fever” many people experience with its stuffy and runny nose, sneezing, coughing and itching.

But allergies don’t have to keep you from firing up the lawn mower, trimming trees, working in the garden or building that new patio. Paul A. Reder, M.D., FACS, otolaryngologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie, offers these tips to avoid allergens when you’re doing your spring landscaping:

• If you’ve been prescribed an oral antihistamine by your doctor, be sure to take it before heading outdoors.
• Wear protective clothing, including gloves, to reduce exposure to allergens and avoid transferring pollen from your hands to your eyes and nose.
• Wear a mask. “Think of the nose as a filter,” Dr. Reder says. “For seasonal allergies, the nose is the first line of defense.”
• Wash your hands, change clothes and shower after you’re finished.

“An alternative to wearing a mask is nasal irrigation with saline [saltwater] to rinse allergens from the nose—it’s like cleaning your own air filter,” Dr. Reder adds. Irrigation kits are available at pharmacies and grocery stores.

You could attempt to “allergy-proof” your yard and garden by selecting plants that pollinate through insects rather than by releasing pollen (see “Garden Friends and Foes” at right). Unfortunately, you can’t avoid the windblown pollens from other trees and plants, which often travel long distances.

Dr. Reder says, “If these avoidance strategies don’t help, check with your primary care doctor for other treatment options, which may include a referral to an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist or an allergist.”

By Deborah Paddison

For a referral to an ENT on the medical staff at Baylor Waxahachie, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or use our on-line physician directory.

Garden Friends and Foes

PLANT TYPE	FRIENDS	FOES
GRASSES	St. Augustine	Bermuda, fescue, orchard, perennial rye, redtop, salt grass, timothy
SHRUBS	Azalea, boxwood, hibiscus, hydrangea, viburnum	Cypress, juniper
TREES	Apple, cherry, fern pine, dogwood, hardy rubber tree, magnolia, pear, plum, red maple	Alder, ash, aspen, beech, birch, box elder, cedar, cottonwood, elm, hickory, maple, mulberry, oak, olive, palm, pecan, pine, poplar, sycamore, walnut, willow
FLOWERS/WEEDS	Begonia, cactus, clematis, columbine, crocus, daffodil, daisy, geranium, hosta, impatiens, iris, lily, pansy, periwinkle, petunia, phlox, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, tulip, verbena, zinnia	Poison ivy/oak/sumac, cocklebur, ragweed, Russian thistle, sagebrush

Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America