Allergy Dos and Allergy Don'ts

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  You're sneezing and coughing, and itchy, watery eyes are driving you crazy. You feel worn out and miserable, but don't have a cold or flu. You have allergies. Your allergy symptoms are making you sick — so should you crawl back into bed and just call it a day or just soldier on armed with your box of tissues? Is getting extra rest, like you do with a cold or the flu, a good plan? What about doing a heavy workout? How do the rules change when it's allergy versus a cold? Read on to learn some allergy dos and don'ts.
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Take a Sick Day?

  "What you don't want to do is let allergies run your life," says Anju Peters, MD, an allergy specialist in the division of allergy and immunology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "I would never tell a patient with allergies to stay home from work unless they had an asthma exacerbation," she adds. Instead, she says to investigate good allergy treatment options.
  "If you have mild symptoms, try over-the-counter antihistamines, but stay away from the sedating ones," Dr. Peters says. Instead, use non-sedating ones or try a saline rinse to wash allergens out of your nose
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Stay Inside?

  If grasses, trees, flowers, or weeds get your allergy symptoms going, should you avoidgoing outside? Peters says you shouldn't have to if you're being treated. If over-the-counter allergy treatment isn't handling your allergy symptoms, ask your doctor about prescription eye drops or nasal sprays, says Donald Novey, MD, an integrative family physician practicing in Poulsbo, Wash. Taking some simple precautions can help, too. While outside, wear glasses and a hat, says Peters. When you come inside, change your clothes
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Skip Exercise?

  If you have allergy symptoms, should you exercise as usual? Peters says go ahead — but do what you feel comfortable doing. "Try some exercise and see if it helps or makes you feel more tired," says Dr. Novey. "People are individual and this can go both ways." If you are allergic to pollen, Peters suggests skipping outdoor morning exercise, when pollen counts are at their highest. Put off your workout until later or simply do it indoors
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Eat Chicken Soup?

  When you're sick with a cold or flu, chicken soup may make you feel better. But Novey says the secret to chicken soup is really about breathing steam. "It could just as well be tea," he notes. So is eating soup an allergy do or don't? "Drinking hot drinks may not go well with allergically inflamed nasal tissues or sinus tissues," Novey points out. "That's because allergies are based upon histamine, not a viral infection. Imagine having hives and then taking a hot shower — it would only make matters worse."
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Get Extra Rest?

  "The answer is a bit tricky," says Novey. Resting doesn't improve allergy symptomsbecause the problem is not caused by a weak immune system, which would be improved by rest. "Now," he adds, "here's the tricky part. Allergy symptoms make it easier to get an infection, like a sinus infection. If you are rested, you are less likely to have your allergy symptoms escalate into another type of infection."
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Drink Alcohol?

  When you've got a bad cold or flu, probably the last thing you want is a drink. So is drinking alcohol an allergy do or don't? It's a don't — especially if you are taking sedating antihistamines for your allergy symptoms. "First, you can have a double-sedating effect from the alcohol combined with the antihistamine," says Novey. "Second, alcohol tends to cause redness and swelling of the same tissues that are affected by allergies, making them feel worse."
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Smoke?

  If you needed another reason to quit smoking, here it is: Lighting up can aggravate allergy symptoms. Smoking irritates and can damage the lining of your nasal passages and your lower airways, says Peters. "It can cause symptoms or even worsen symptoms — especially if you have lower airway symptoms. But it can cause nasal symptoms as well.
  

  Allergy Dos and Don'ts: Get Shots?

  A flu shot can prevent influenza. Can you also get shots for allergy prevention? Yes! Officially called "immunotherapy," allergy shots work like a vaccine. Your allergy specialist tests to see what substances are triggering your allergies. Then, in a series of shots, he injects you with tiny bits of those allergens. The aim is to build your tolerance to those triggers so your body no longer reacts to them. If allergy medication isn't working, if you can't or won't take it, or if your allergies are triggering other health problems like asthma, allergy shots may be an option. This allergy treatment is a big-time commitment and is not right for everyone. Consult with your allergy specialist.