For the first time in my life I had seasonal allergies. It was awful. And I didn't really know what to do about it. So I did some research. Here's what I found.
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle things to do (close windows, avoid the outdoors, wear a mask when outside, take a shower at night to wash the allergens off, 5am-10am is usually the worst for allergies, use air conditioning/dehumidifier, etc.)
Holistic Medicine
Dr. Axe’s has a great article on naturally treating allergies (local foods, spicy food, vit A, bromelain, etc.)
2017 Medicine Guidlines
2017 Guidelines from American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (Dykewicz et al.)
You only need to use the intranasal corticosteroid (INCS, e.g. flonase). You don’t need to add an oral antihistamine (e.g. Claritin or Zyrtec) in addition. From the study, “there is no clinical benefit of using a combination of an oral antihistamine and an INCS compared with monotherapy with an INCS”
INCS also out performs oral leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs)
- “In contrast to combination therapy of an intranasal antihistamine (INCS) and an oral antihistamine (question 1), which did not show any further clinical benefit, combination therapy of an INCS and INAH (intranasal antihistamine) , as studied in a single device, provides a greater benefit than monotherapy”
So it's all about the nose apparently.
What I Did
I upped my local honey (already eat a ton of local food) and started using a intranasal corticosteroid (just a generic brand) in the mornings that I feel it might be coming on. It's worked quite well.