With spring finally here, many of us are excited about the warmer months coming back around. Unfortunately for the rest of us, that can only mean one thing: more allergies.
Roughly 50 million Americans - 20 percent of us! - suffer from allergies today. This ranges from common indoor/outdoor allergies, caused by environmental substances like pollen, to food allergies caused shellfish. That does not even include the other allergies caused by drugs, annoying insects, and other skin and eye irritants. Many people do not know that allergies represent the 5th-largest chronic disease among Americans today.
But at Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England, spring allergies can become a thing of the past when the ENT doctors on site diagnose and ultimately treat your specific allergy issue.
But first, you must understand what an allergy is: allergies happen because your immune system has an extreme response to something in your immediate environment. Hay fever, which is most common during the spring and fall months, is the most common allergy today.
Take a look below at some of the most common allergy symptoms to watch out for now that spring has sprung:
- coughing
- itchy/sensitive eyes
- tender/dry/scratchy throat
- runny nose
- excessive sneezing
- Nasal itchiness and congestion
- Dark circles underneath the eyes
- Mouth breathing
- Fading sense of taste or smell
- Recurrent ear and/or sinus infections
- Fluctuating hearing loss patterns
- Chronic fatigue
If you find yourself suffering from symptoms like these, being treated with prescribed allergy medications from your EMT doctor can go a long way towards improving your well-being. Also, limiting exposure to allergens altogether by doing things like keeping your windows closed during the day and not going outside unnecessarily can help prevent allergy symptom onset in the future.
For more information on how to overcome and prevent allergies this spring, give one of the ENT experts at At Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England LLC a call today. In Springfield, call (413) 732-7426. In Northampton, call (413) 586-2033. Or call our office at Mary Lane Hospital at (413) 967-2249. We are awaiting your call!