Columbus Standard

• People who have spring allergies might start feeling their symptoms kicking in, as trees have begun to pollinate.
• Symptoms can include sneezing, itchy eyes, coughing, congestion and fatigue.
• People who need to undergo allergy testing or treatment have several options.

According to Dr. Anthony Sanders of the Indianapolis Sinus Center, people who are suffering from allergies have several treatment options, depending on what works best for them.

"We still do allergy shots. Also, another form of allergy treatment, or immunotherapy, is what's called sublingual immunotherapy,” Sanders told Columbus Standard. “Rather than doing shots, you can do this at home, where you put a drop or two under your tongue once a day.”

Sanders said the home option ultimately provides the same effect as allergy shots by creating the antibodies that block the allergic response happening in the body.

“It's the way allergy treatment has been done in Europe for decades, and it's fairly new to the United States,” Sanders said. “The other advantage to not having to go in for allergy shots, the inconvenience of all that, is that it can be done at home, and the systemic reaction rate with it is so small, it almost doesn't occur. So it's a lot safer and it's quicker. You're done usually in three years, as opposed to five or six for allergy shots."

The Blanchard Valley Health System said that patients suffering from allergies could start to feel the impact beginning in February or March as trees begin to form pollen. As the pollen is spread by winds, it can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and mouth, engaging the allergy symptoms. The type of pollen differs from tree to tree, but allergists can determine whether pollen is from an oak, birch, walnut or any other tree and come up with individualized treatments.

According to Yale Medicine, some 50 million Americans suffer from spring allergies and their symptoms, and there are usually two options for testing. One is a skin-prick test, which includes the injection of a small amount of allergens under the skin, which will become irritated if the patient has an allergy, and results are available in a day or two. The second option is a blood test, which takes longer to produce results but allows doctors to test for more allergens than the skin test.

Mayo Clinic said that people who suffer from seasonal allergies should stay indoors on dry, windy days to avoid contact with pollen. They can track pollen counts, and when they come inside, they can shower to wash pollen from their skin.

Mayo Clinic suggested that patients suffering with allergies can use over-the-counter treatments -- such as oral decongestants, antihistamines and nasal sprays -- for relief from the symptoms. If issues persist, they can pursue one of the treatment options available at Indianapolis Sinus Center.

To learn more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.