Banish Your Springtime Allergies Without Drugs
Yesterday, parts of Europe celebrated "the other Halloween"...
Called Walpurgisnacht or "Walpurgis Night," it's a pagan holiday that originally celebrated the May 1 canonization of Saint Walpurga. She was an 8th-century German saint who people back then prayed to for help driving off evil spirits.
Originally, ancient Germans believed witches gathered on the night of April 30. People would dress as witches, dance, play music, and build big bonfires to shoo off evil spirits.
Today, Walpurgis Night is seen more as a festival to celebrate the transition from winter to spring.
And with spring comes plenty of time to be active outside (getting your daily dose of vitamin D), but it also brings with it an evil that millions of us suffer through..ollen.
Pollen season is longer than ever in the U.S., thanks to warmer temperatures from climate change. And it's leaving in its wake millions of Americans plagued by coughing, sneezing, and itchy eyes.
They're experiencing seasonal allergic rhinitis – or "hay fever." And this time of year, plants dormant during the winter come back to life, releasing pollen throughout the season.
But not everyone has allergies in the spring. Exactly how and when you experience symptoms depends on your trigger allergen...
Seasonal allergies occur when your immune system treats pollen as an invader... producing antibodies to defend your body... and causing stuffiness, sneezing, itchy eyes, and coughing.
There is no cure for seasonal allergies, and the most common drugs folks use to relieve symptoms have harmful side effects. For example...
Claritin is one of the most popular go-tos for allergy sufferers. It blocks histamine (the chemical that causes allergy symptoms) binding to prevent allergies. But its side effects include drowsiness, headaches, constipation, and dry mouth. It can also raise your blood pressure.
Benadryl is another popular drug to treat allergies. Benadryl is a type of anticholinergic, which blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in our nervous system. This class of drugs relaxes nerves in many of our body's systems. That includes the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract (the digestive system), and the lungs. People take these drugs for problems like allergies, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson's disease, and even for an overactive bladder.
But a 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that long-term use of anticholinergics (which Benadryl falls under) might increase your risk of dementia. While the study was observational, researchers did see that taking anticholinergics for three-plus years was linked to a 54% higher risk of developing dementia, compared with those who took medication for just a few months.
Nasal sprays are a nonpill way to treat congestion from allergies. But the relief is only temporary and can actually cause your nasal lining to swell, leading to even more congestion. And overuse can lead to holes in your nasal septum. Worse, the drugs can permanently kill your sense of smell.
Or you could try allergy shots, which work by regularly injecting small doses of the allergen causing your allergic reaction. However, they can take years to become effective and can have dangerous complications, like anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction).
Four Ways to Survive Allergy Season
I try not to use these potentially harmful drugs. So if you're like me and you want to avoid drugs... these alternative solutions can help reduce your allergy symptoms.
Plan your day. Pollen counts often soar around midday, so you can still enjoy going outdoors in the mornings and evenings. Plenty of weather websites track pollen counts and help you plan your outdoor activities. Not to mention, you can also get the air quality report for the day, too. Because allergies aside, you want to protect yourself from nearly invisible, airborne nasties that can do more than just make you feel miserable for a few months... They can even damage your lungs, heart, and lead to early death. I talked about it in this issue of Retirement Millionaire. (Grab a trial subscription here if you're not a member.)
Choose where you vacation carefully. If you are allergic to mold, for example, destinations with cooler temperatures will have fewer mold allergens. If you are allergic to pollen, places near the coast have lower levels of pollen. You can look up the allergy forecast for a specific state or county at AirCompare or find state-specific allergy triggers at the Weather Channel.
If you have allergies to feathers or common dust mites, it's a good idea to bring your own pillow. Small inns and bed-and-breakfast places are popular, but make sure to double check with the owners about their pets. They may allow their dog or cat in common areas. If you have a strong allergy to either, check first. And remember, the air conditioner won't just keep you cool... It will filter out common allergens, too, so make sure to run it in your hotel room.
So do what I do and plan ahead. And pack a hypoallergenic pillow cover just in case.
Keep your air filters clean. I keep an air purifier with a true HEPA filter in my bedroom, and I clean it once a week.
But it's not the only filter to think about...
Clean out and replace filters on your central heating and cooling system as well as your gas furnace. Dirty filters reduce airflow, which puts a strain on your system.
In the kitchen, be sure to clean the filters on your range hood and microwave fans. Not all models contain filters. But if they do, take them out and clean off all the grease and debris. That way, the fan won't blow out all the germs and grit next time you run it.
Use a neti pot. The neti pot is another one of my preferred methods to cut down on allergies. This is an old Hindu device used to wash the sinuses.
But if you try it, be careful... and follow the instructions. If you don't use sterilized or distilled water, brain-eating organisms found in tap water can enter the brain through your sinuses. In late 2011, two deaths in Louisiana were blamed on the improper use of a neti pot.
Hop in the shower. That'd be taking a shower as soon as you step in the door and washing the clothes worn outside on those high-pollen-count days.
Finally, if your allergies get especially bad, don't suffer in silence – make a doctor's appointment. Your doctor may prescribe medications. (One colleague in our office says his airways get so constricted in the spring, his doctor prescribes asthma medications.)
What We're Reading...
- Start here if you want to shop for an air purifier.
- Something different: The deepest sinkhole in America.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
May 1, 2025