By Annette Campbell
It must be springtime: the sun is shining; the birds are singing — and lots of us are sniffling and sneezing thanks to hay fever!
“Spring can be a miserable time of year for those living with either mild, or debilitating hay fever,” says Dr Raymond Mullins, spokesperson for the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.
“Mild symptoms can just be a sneeze; but debilitating ones make it very hard to function or sleep. You get very run down and medications only help, they don’t cure anything.”
We asked Dr Mullins for his expert advice on surviving springtime allergies.
Anti-histamine tablets: These are good for reducing the sneezing and itching; just use them when you want to and can stop anytime when you don’t. You can also use them as a preventive measure — for example, just before you’re going to mow the lawn.
Eye drops: Effective for sore, hot and stinging eyes.
Nasal sprays: Most of these take a while to work, so they’re better used regularly. They can be anti-histamine, or cortisone sprays. They’re very safe.
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