The most beautiful season of all is Spring, some say. To others, it’s a nightmare. Along with the colorful flowers, sunny days and warm weather, comes pollen. And to many allergy sufferers, misery.

Much of the severity of allergies can depend on the weather, and for us, we’ve got all the makings of a miserable season.
• The more rain, the more mold.
• The windier it is, the more pollen will be blown around.
• Warmer days, more things (including grass and trees) will bloom quicker, more pollen will be distributed.

Doctors recommend starting allergy medicine early. The longer it’s in your system, the better it will work they say. Medication may also depend on your activity. If all you’ll be doing is going from car to office to house, you may not to dose up as much. If you’ll be mowing the grass or hanging out at your kid’s baseball fields, you may want to use an inter-nasal antihistamine or some Benadryl for precautionary treatment before you go.

As nice as the days may be, don’t let them tempt you into doing things that may backfire on you. Growing up, we always opened the windows to enjoy the spring weather – don’t do it if anyone in your home has allergies. When my husband and I were first married, I opened the windows without thinking and he was miserable! I remember the yellow pollen inside the house; I learned my lesson and now our windows stay shut throughout the spring. Same for your car – as tempting as it may be to ride with the windows down, think about all that pollen that will blow in. Keep the windows up.

Change your clothes, even shower after spending time outdoors to get rid of pollen adhered on yourself and clothes. Leave your shoes outside or at least at the door so pollen isn’t tracker throughout the home, and give your dog or cat who spends time outside a good brushing before she comes in. It’s amazing how much pollen can stick to pets.

Rinse of your car if it’s parked outside and you have access to a hose. When you turn the car on, some of the pollen will get in through the air vents, a good rinse will get much of it away before it sneaks in.

Watch the weather for pollen counts, and treat accordingly. It’s nice to enjoy the beauty of spring instead of the wrath of its pollen!