Seasonal allergies can significantly impede your ability to function, particularly in the spring months. This article provides tips for coping with seasonal allergies, beginning by suggesting you visit an allergist.
Instructions
1. Check your health insurance to see if it covers visits to an allergist. If it does not, or you do not have health insurance, see what you can do to address this problem.
2. Make an appointment with an allergist. Even if over-the-counter medicines work to combat your allergy symptoms, they are really only covering up the problem. A visit to an allergist can help determine if there are more effective medications for you, or if you would benefit from allergy testing.
3. Explore options with your doctor. She may suggest that you take an allergy test to see what specific allergies you have. If this test comes out positive for certain allergies, you may also have the option of taking allergy shots (which basically work over a long period of time to vaccinate you against your allergies). Again, you will have to make sure your insurance covers any of these options.
4. Eliminate non-seasonal allergens. While you may in fact have seasonal allergies, your allergy test might reveal allergies to year-round allergens like dust mites and mold. If so, ask your doctor minimize your exposure to these irritants, which will obviously compound your problems during seasonal allergy season.
5. Keep abreast of the weather. No matter how much medication you are on, days with high pollen counts might be difficult. Knowing the pollen situation upfront may help you plan your day (see below to learn get allergy alerts in your email).
Tags: allergy test, health insurance, insurance covers, visit allergist, your allergy, your doctor