Conquering Severe Seasonal Allergy Symptoms and Enjoying the Great Outdoors

This post about Severe Seasonal Allergy Symptoms has been sponsored by Ricola and Social Stars but all opinions are my own.

One of the not so great things about living in the south is that my severe seasonal allergy symptoms begin as early as February. Yes, while much of the nation is still covered in snow, Georgia has crocuses sprouting, trees forming buds and pollen levels already creeping up into the ‘high’ category. After 15 years of living here, I have spent a lot of time dealing with common allergy symptoms like sniffly noses and scratchy throats. It would help if I didn’t like nature so much. I don’t want to be locked inside for half the year because the out of doors is trying to slowly kill me. I want my windows open in the house and I want to spend time gardening and enjoying my patio. Being a nature lover with severe allergies is really not a lot of fun! But, over the years, I have found a few things that really work in conquering severe allergy symptoms so I thought I would share some of my battle strategies with you.

Conquering Severe Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Buy stock in saline:  My first line of defense when attempting to conquer severe seasonal allergy symptoms is a ton of saline. You can either invest in a neti pot or just buy a canister of saline or twelve to help you make it through allergy season. Flush both sides of your nose with saline multiple times a day but especially after coming inside from the great outdoors.

Antihistamines:  I try to stay away from over the counter and prescription antihistamines unless I just can’t handle my severe seasonal allergy symptoms anymore. I have found several natural antihistamine products at my local health food store that work very well and those are my first line of defense against an overactive immune system. If those don’t work, then I move on to traditional antihistamine products, starting with a half a dose to see if that is enough to control my allergy symptoms. Since I have chronic sinus problems, I need to be careful how much ‘drying up’ I do of my runny nose!

Conquer tickly throats with throat lozenges: A nagging cough and tickly throat are one of the most irritating seasonal allergy symptoms for me to deal with. My all time favorite cough drop is the Ricola Original Drops® and I never let myself run out during allergy season. Along with a nice cup of tea with honey, they are a great way to treat that nagging cough caused by seasonal allergies.

Never go anywhere without tissues:  I bring tissues just about everywhere I go because wiping your nose on your sleeve is rather frowned up in most public places. And since constant sniffling can get really annoying, tissues are a great solution. Big boxes, little pouches, wet wipes for noses, whatever works for you…just keep something handy for nose wiping other than your sleeve.

Buy a Good HEPA filter:  I have multiple HEPA filters running in my house at all times. Not only do they suck up any pollen that comes in when the doors open and close but they also tackle dander from the dog, mold from the house plants, dust mites and a ton of other things that cause severe allergy symptoms. Buy a really good one, change the filters regularly and make sure you run it frequently!

Do NOT get caught unaware:  One day, you are fine and then WHAM…your severe seasonal allergy symptoms hit. Of course, they probably hit during your busiest week when you don’t have time to run out to the drugstore to stock up on supplies. Keep your medicine cabinet stocked with the things you need at all times. Make sure prescriptions for inhalers have refills, that your antihistamines are not expired and that your bag of Ricola cough drops is not empty!

Battling allergy fatigue: One symptom I never see discussed with allergies is the fatigue it causes. Part of that is because allergies interfere with sleep quite a bit. Post nasal drip causes a nagging cough that can keep you awake all night and antihistamines often cause drowsiness during the day (even the ones that say they don’t!). Shower before bed to minimize pollen in your hair and thus all over your pillow. Run a HEPA filter in your bedroom, and lift the head of your bed slightly or sleep on your side. Taking antihistamines at night can also help.

I absolutely refuse to let seasonal allergy symptoms keep me inside during the most beautiful months of the year. I have a garden to plant and a patio to enjoy and pollen is just not going to stand in  my way. Did you know over 50% of people with seasonal allergies suffer coughs and itchy throats? It can get really irritating to spend half the day coughing! If you suffer from an irritating cough or scratchy throat during the allergy season, there’s an easy way to get an extra drop of soothing relief. Just try popping a drop of Ricola! Ricola’s secret blend of 10 Swiss herbs (called Chrütercraft) can give your throat an extra drop of soothing relief. Haven’t ever tried these little cough relief drops? You can head over to CVS to pick up your Ricola drops for the relief of itchy throat and nagging cough.

The  Ricola Original Drops® “Drop-It” campaign is all about treating your nagging cough with a Ricola Swiss Herb drop. Soothing relief of your nagging cough is closer than you think. Just head to your local CVS Pharmacy, and grab a refreshing bag of Ricola. Pop a natural Ricola herb drop and let it soothe your throat! Think you already know a ton about Ricola drops? Take the quiz below for a chance to win a golden Ricola Swiss Herb drop! In the quiz, you have 75 seconds to answer as many questions as possible about Ricola. For each correct answer, you get one entry in the one-time sweepstake of the golden Ricola Original Herb. The answers are all on their website so head over to Ricola to enter to win!

Take the Quiz and enter to win!

 

I’m sharing #SwissHerbs and these tips about Conquering Severe Seasonal Allergy Symptoms as part of a #Ricola sponsored series for Socialstars™. All opinions are my own. For more info on Ricola visit them on Facebook & Twitter.