Alternative medicine (1)
- Hypnosis
Prevention (1)
- Springtime allergies: Nip them in the bud
Symptoms (1)
- Symptom Checker
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Allergy skin tests
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Allergy medications: Know your options
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Springtime allergies: Nip them in the bud
Relieve springtime allergies with these tried-and-true techniques.
By Mayo Clinic staffSpring means flower buds and blooming trees — and if you're one of the millions of people who have springtime allergies, it also means sneezing, congestion, runny nose and other bothersome symptoms. Springtime allergies — also called hay fever and allergic rhinitis — can make you miserable. But before you settle for plastic flowers and artificial turf, try these simple strategies to keep springtime allergies under control.
Reduce your exposure to allergy triggers
There are a number of things that you can do to reduce your exposure to the things that trigger your allergy signs and symptoms (allergens):
- Stay indoors on dry, windy days — the best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air.
- Delegate lawn mowing, weed pulling and other gardening chores that stir up allergens.
- Remove clothes you've worn outside; you may also want to shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.
- Don't hang laundry outside — pollen can stick to sheets and towels.
- Wear a dust mask if you do outside chores.
Take extra steps when pollen counts are high
Seasonal allergy signs and symptoms can flare up when there's a lot of pollen in the air. These steps can help you reduce your exposure:
- Check your local TV or radio station, your local newspaper, or the Internet for pollen forecasts and current pollen levels.
- If high pollen counts are forecasted, start taking allergy medications before your symptoms start.
- Close doors and windows at night or any other time when pollen counts are high.
- Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning when pollen counts are highest.
Keep indoor air clean
There's no miracle product that can eliminate all allergens from the air in your home, but these suggestions may help:
- Use the air conditioning in your house and car.
- If you have forced air heating or air conditioning in your house, use high-efficiency filters and follow regular maintenance schedules.
- Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.
- Use a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.
- Clean floors often with a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter.
(1 of 2)
- Platts-Mills TA. Allergen avoidance in the treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Tips to remember: Outdoor allergens. American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/outdoorallergens.stm. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Sublett JL, et al. Air filters and air cleaners: Rostrum by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2010;125:32.
- Herbs and other dietary supplements. In: Bauer B. Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. New York, N.Y.: Time Inc.; 2007:156.
- Man L. Complementary and alternative medicine for allergic rhinitis. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery. 2009;17:226.
- deShazo RD, et al. Pharmacotherapy of allergic rhinitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Rabago D, et al. Saline nasal irrigation for upper respiratory conditions. American Family Physician. 2009;80:1117.
- Naegleria FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 30, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on