Are you sneezing more than ever? What about a stuffy nose? Do you wake up stopped up? You’re not alone. The CDC estimates that 60 million Americans suffer from allergies. Some people endure seasonal allergies due mostly to pollen in the fall or spring. It’s unpleasant, but survivable. More and more people are suffering constant congestion from year-round allergies. Is there any relief from allergies that never seem to end?
Seasonal or Year-Round Allergies?
The classic symptoms of allergy include sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and congestion. But such complaints could also be suggestive of a cold, the flu or some other upper respiratory tract infection. If these complaints go away in a week or three, you can assume infection rather than allergies.
If the symptoms arrive every spring or fall and then disappear after a month or three, you are probably suffering from seasonal allergies. An allergist can test you for what is triggering your symptoms. Skin prick tests and allergy IgE blood tests are frequently employed.
Most people can survive several weeks of allergy symptoms. The various treatments that are sold in pharmacies these days are reasonably effective and relatively safe. More about them shortly.
Year-Round Allergies:
A large number of unfortunate individuals suffer year-round allergies. In addition to pollen, they may react to pet dander or dust mites. These invisible spider-like creatures live in upholstery, mattresses, pillows and carpets. They feast upon dead cells that people shed from their skin and scalp.
It is estimated that 20 million individuals are allergic to the proteins dust mites excrete. That’s why many people wake up in the morning with a stuffy nose.
If your nose is always congested and your sinuses are stopped up, you will be miserable. For one thing, your head feels as if it’s full of cotton. Studies have found that people suffering from allergies frequently experience sleeping difficulties, fatigue, poor concentration, drowsiness, irritability, delayed reaction times, memory problems and cognitive impairment.
In addition to dust mites, many people are allergic to cat dander, cockroach droppings and mold spores. You will want to listen or our recent interview with a highly-regarded allergist, Dr. David Peden, to learn how your indoor environment can contribute to such allergens in the air you breathe at this link.
Show 1403: Managing Year-Round Allergies with Medicines and Herbs
Why Are Allergies Getting Worse?
Are year-round allergies getting worse? Some people think so. They point out that plants start releasing pollen earlier in the spring than they used to. Likewise, frost that kills plants like ragweed, burning bush, cocklebur or lamb’s-quarters often comes later in the year. That leads to a longer season to be exposed to pollen that makes people sniffle and sneeze.
Allergens inside the house or workplace may also be more intense. People are now exposed to a chemical soup at home and in the workplace. Buildings are tightly sealed for energy efficiency and may trap chemical gasses and dust from a variety of sources.
Cleaning agents left on floors and other surfaces dry out and can eventually circulate on dust particles throughout the house where they are inhaled with each breath. Fire retardants and other chemicals used in fabric and foam in furniture, mattresses and electrical insulation can also be irritating to the airways. Mold can flourish wherever there is humidity: in basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, air conditioning units and automobile air ducts.
It is crazy to treat the symptoms of allergies if you don’t examine your environment and try to eliminate what’s causing the problem in the first place. If you lived in a house with faulty wiring that kept blowing fuses or tripping the circuit breakers every day, you would be foolish to ignore the underlying problem.
We knew of one family that moved into a charming old house. Within a few months, the dad starting sniffling and sneezing. Then he developed asthma for the first time in his life. Not long after that both children also became congested and had periodic bouts with asthma. They were all treated with various medications to relieve their symptoms. It wasn’t until they moved that their symptoms eventually went away and their need for allergy and asthma drugs disappeared.
Air Filters and Dehumidification for Year-Round Allergies:
It is impossible to eliminate all the airborne allergens that trigger symptoms, but you can reduce the amount of dust floating around your rooms. Forget the old-fashioned fiberglass filters that only capture large particles. That is like trying to catch mosquitoes with a fishnet.
A HEPA (high efficiency particular air) filter is a good starting point. You can get whole-house HEPA filters or room filters. We are currently testing AirDoctor. The folks who make this air purifier report that it filters out pollen, pet dander, dust mites, mold spores, bacteria and viruses.
The company will be promoting this air purification system on our podcast. We wanted to give it a test run before we included AirDoctor on our radio show. We have been extremely impressed with AirDoctorPro.com. It resides in our bedroom, is very quiet and combines an UltraHEPA filter with a Carbon Gas Trap/VOC [volatile organic compound] filter. So far so good! We’re testing the AirDoctor 3500.
Allergy Remedies from the Drugstore:
Pharmacy shelves have numerous products that are promoted to ease allergy symptoms. How well do they work?
Oral antihistamines are perhaps the most popular approach. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is quite effective against sneezing and congestion, but it also can cause drowsiness and brain fog.
Some antihistamines that are sedating have what neuroscientists call anticholinergic activity. This may impact the activity of the crucial brain neurochemical called acetylcholine. Before you take a drug like diphenhydramine month in and month out, you may want to read our article about antihistamines and the brain at this link.
Does Popular OTC Antihistamine Increase Risk of Dementia?
Non-Sedating Antihistamines for Year-Round Allergies?
Less sedating antihistamines include cetirizine (Zyrtec), fexofenadine (Allegra) and levocetirizine (Xyzal). Many people have reported unbearable itching for several weeks if they stop cetirizine or levocetirizine suddenly. You can read more about this challenging withdrawal reaction at this link.
Because year-round allergies are hard to control, people often take antihistamines for long periods of time. That means that stopping such drugs can be challenging if people experience an unbearable skin reaction with several hours of stopping the antihistamine.
Azelastine (Astelin, Astepro) is a nasal spray antihistamine. It can leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Other side effects may include headache or a burning sensation in the nose.
NasalCrom for Allergies:
We like NasalCrom (cromolyn) for a couple of reasons. First, it stabilizes mast cells, something many other allergy drugs don’t do.
The Mystery of Mast Cells:
These are the cells in your eyes, nose and lungs (and other places in your body) that are highly sensitive to allergens. Think of them as floating mines. When they come into contact with allergens like ragweed pollen or dust mite poop, a switch gets thrown on this cellular “mine” and all hell breaks loose.
Mast cells start releasing histamine and other chemicals called kinins (pronounced KYE-nins), which then turn on a cascade of other nasty things like leukotrienes and prostaglandins that cause sneezing, itching, inflammation and congestion.
Think of it this way. If your mast cells are like a barn holding in a bunch of wild horses (histamine molecules and other inflammatory compounds), then what would be more efficient—reinforcing the door and walls of the barn to keep those wild histamines and kinins inside, or trying to protect all the grass in your pasture from having those histamine “horses” nibbling away?
Antihistamines are like a chemical barrier, trying to protect your grass once the horses are out of the barn. But they are not 100 percent efficient, and some histamine will always find a target and wreak havoc. Keeping the barn closed tightly (or mast cells stabilized) seems to us a more effective approach.
As mentioned, NasalCrom stabilizes mast cells so that they don’t release histamine and other inflammatory compounds. It can be quite effective if it is used properly, but not everyone wants to take it several times a day prior to allergy season to prevent allergy symptoms.
One reader noted:
“I once asked for NasalCrom in a pharmacy, and the pharmacist told me they stopped stocking it because patients complained it didn’t work. That’s because the directions tell you to start taking it weeks before your expected exposure to the pollen antigens, in my case ragweed around August 15 in Pennsylvania. Many folks don’t inhibit the mast cells before exposure and that’s why it’s less effective. I started NasalCrom around July 2015, and it has worked for me for years.”
You can learn a lot more about NasalCrom at this link.
Should You Use NasalCrom for Your Allergies?
Not everyone gets benefit from NasalCrom. Many people on our website have reported effectiveness. Some, however, say it is not worth the trouble.
Corticosteroid Nasal Sprays:
Another option for treating a stuffy nose is an OTC steroid spray. Both fluticasone (Flonase) and triamcinolone (Nasacort) can also help control inflammation associated with allergies. Some people complain about nosebleeds with such corticosteroids.
You can learn about other benefits and risks at this link.
Herbs and Supplements for Year-Long Allergies
Vitamin C:
We are the first to acknowledge that the vitamin C studies are squishy. There just have not been large, well-conducted clinical trials with ascorbic acid against allergic disorders. The allergists will rightfully say that without decent data they cannot recommend this vitamin. Nevertheless, there is some research suggesting that this nutrient might help reduce allergy symptoms through a kind of antihistamine action.
There is also the possibility that vitamin C modulates immune system reactivity and has anti-inflammatory effects (Inflammopharmacology, April 2023). The benefits appear fairly short-lived. That’s why the general recommendation is to take 500 mg of ascorbic acid three or four times a day.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica):
The very name of this herb is enough to scare many folks away. If you were to come into contact with stinging nettle, which grows widely throughout Europe and North America, you would have even more misgivings. Touching the tiny hairs can cause an impressive rash that can itch and sting for up to 12 hours. It is ironic that these hairs contain a witches’ brew of irritating chemicals, including histamine and formic acid (also found in ant stings).
When the leaves and other parts of the above ground plant are dried, extracted and swallowed, however, they may offer some fascinating pharmacological benefits. It has been used in Europe to relieve allergy symptoms for a long time. By the way, dermatologists employ the name “urticaria” to describe hives, which can be quite itchy! So, the name Urtica dioica is quite fitting for stinging nettle. There is more information about stinging nettle for allergy symptoms at this link.
Quercetin and Bromelain:
Two other natural products that may be worth consideration against allergies are quercetin and bromelain. Quercetin is an antioxidant flavonoid that is found in many fruits, vegetables and herbs.
The anti-inflammatory effect of quercetin also helps stabilize mast cells (Autoimmunity, Dec. 2023). Quercetin is sometimes combined with bromelain (an enzyme derived from pineapple).
Final Words on Year-Round Allergies:
Allergies don’t get the respect they deserve. When you complain about your congestion, most friends and family members will barely sympathize. But allergies can slow you down and make you dangerous behind the wheel.
Finding the right treatment to ease your symptoms without causing worse problems is a challenge. Combining several options, including improving indoor air quality, control, may be the most effective solution for solving this common problem.
You may want to listen to our recent podcast on this subject. Dr. Tieraona Low Dog provides clear recommendations on natural approaches to controlling allergy symptoms. We think you will find this radio show of great value if you or someone you know suffers from short-term or year-round allergies.
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