5 ways to treat spring allergy.

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Finally, the cold weather has gone away, and the outdoors are green again. With the warmer weather comes the pollen, and most areas of the country are seeing significant tree pollen in the air. The grass pollen is soon to follow. This spells misery for the allergy sufferer. However, with a little preparation, spring allergies don't have to ruin your outdoor activities this year. Whether you're seeing an allergist, a regular doctor, or have no ability or time to see a physician in order to obtain a prescription, there's plenty of options to combat your allergies this season.

There are a number of new over-the-counter options to treat allergies, including antihistamines, eye drops, and intranasal corticosteroid sprays. There are also two new prescription medications (they are not actually medications, but sublingual immunotherapy) available for the treatment of grass allergies. Despite the wide variety of therapies for the treatment of allergies, there are a number of unusual or unproven therapies that people use for the treatment of allergy symptoms. I would suggest that anyone considering using any of the following methods to treat nasal allergy symptoms consult their physician, preferably an allergist, prior to starting a treatment.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine that can be used for many chronic diseases, especially chronic pain. The process involves inserting needles into the skin at exact points on the body, which is supposed to restore the balance of "vital flows." Acupuncture has also been claimed to influence the various activities of cells in the body, particularly via the transport, breakdown and clearance of “bioactive mediators.” These actions, along with the claimed effect of inhibiting an over-active immune system, are thought to result in anti-inflammatory effects on the body.

These anti-inflammatory effects are thought to decrease inflammatory diseases such as allergic rhinitis.

Ear Acupressure

Ear acupressure is a technique that takes advantage of major energy lines being connected to the ear, according to traditional Chinese medicine. This technique has been used to treat a number of different medical conditions, such as chronic pain, drug abuse, obesity, diabetes, insomnia, as well as allergic rhinitis.

Ear acupressure involves placing metal pellets against different parts of the ear, which are squeezed against the ear by the patient. The skin is not broken, as with true acupuncture, which can cause more pain and higher risk of infection when used on the ear.

Hot Pepper Nasal Spray

Capsaicin is the substance found in hot red and chili peppers, and it's responsible for the burning sensation that occurs when eating these foods. When capsaicin comes into contact with mucous membranes and skin, the body’s pain sensors are stimulated, which leads to the classic symptoms of burning, stinging and a sensation of heat.

Capsaicin has a wide variety of uses, such as a spice, an herbal supplement, a self-defense weapon (pepper spray), as well as a topical pain medication. Capsaicin also has been used as a nasal spray to treat the effects of non-allergic rhinitis.

Local Honey

Locally produced honey, which supposedly contains local plant pollens to which a person would be allergic, is the preferred type of honey for allergies.

It makes sense that consuming honey that contains pollen to which a person is allergic would improve allergies, much like howsublingual immunotherapy works. And, the fact that many people have experiencedanaphylaxis from eating honey means that there may be enough pollen to stimulate theimmune system. However, should eating local honey be a recommended method of treating pollen allergies?

Herbal Supplements

Various herbal supplements have been used in the treatment of allergies and asthma, some showing benefit. Many medications used to treat various medical problems are derived from plants and herbs, including theophylline (long used to treat asthma). Studies on herbs in allergic rhinitis have been promising, with at least two studies on the use of butterbur in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. One well-designed study showed that butterbur was equivalent to cetirizine (Zyrtec®), while another showed that butterbur was equivalent to fexofenadine (Allegra®). Another well-controlled study on perennial allergic rhinitis showed that biminne was effective for allergic rhinitis symptoms compared to placebo. Finally, a well-designed study showed that a Chinese herb mix was more effective on allergic rhinitis symptoms than 

How long should you sleep to feel rested?

1

 Pick a Time to Focus on Your Sleep

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Set aside a week or two that you can focus on your sleep. It will be important to pick a time that you can sleep as much as you need to without other obligations encroaching on that time. This may be best accomplished during a vacation. Regardless, it is very important that you not allow disruptions or changes to your sleep schedule during this period.

2

 Choose Your Bedtime

 Choose a bedtime when you would normally feel sleepy and go to bed. Tetra Images/Getty Images

Select a typical bedtime. It will be important to choose a time that you would likely feel sleepy and would normally go to bed. If you go to bed too early, you'll lie there awake with insomnia, but too late and you'll be overly tired. Whatever time you choose, stick with it, night after night. If you choose to go to bed at 10 p.m., over the next week or two you must go to bed every night at 10 p.m. There's no wiggle room, so choose your bedtime wisely.

3

 Sleep Until You Are No Longer Tired

 Sleep into the morning until you are no longer feeling tired. Vladimir Godnik/Getty Images

In some ways this is the easiest and hardest part of the process. Quite simply, you have to allow yourself to sleep in as long as you want. In most cases, this means sleeping until you are no longer tired. You may wake up several times, but if you can still get back to sleep, you should try. When you can no longer physically sleep, you should get up for the day. It is very important that you not awaken with an alarm clock. If you have not set your bedtime early enough, you will likely sleep past the time you may need to get up for work. If this is a problem, you should follow the earlier advice and try this process during a vacation. Once you are up for the day, do not go back to sleep until bedtime. No naps allowed!

4

 Figure Out the Average

 Review your average sleep needs and calculate how much sleep you need. Getty Images

In all likelihood, it will take you a few days to pay off your sleep debt. This is the amount of sleep you have been depriving yourself of in the recent past. In order to pay off the debt, you will sleep a little more than you actually need. Gradually, your amount of sleep will begin to even out and approach an average. It could take a week or two before this becomes clear. This average is the amount of sleep that you need to feel rested. Most adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep on average. People who are older than age 65 may need 7 to 8 hours to feel rested.

5

 Arrange Your Sleep Schedule to Meet Your Needs

 Maintain a regular sleep schedule to meet the sleep needs you have determined. Squaredpixels/Getty Images

Once this process is completed, you will have determined the amount of sleep that you need to feel rested. Now you simply need to set a bedtime that will allow you to get that much sleep. For example, if you need to be awake at 6 a.m. for work and you need 9 hours of sleep, you'll have to be to bed at 9 p.m. This will allow you the time to get the sleep you need, while still waking up in time to start your day. For the best results as part of good sleep habits, it will be important that you keep this sleep schedule every day, including weekends. Many will also benefit from getting 15 to 30 minutes of morning sunlight upon awakening.