Allergy Season Arrives In The Southern Tier

It's that time of the year, when flowers bloom, pollen floats through the air and we sneeze our butts off. Oh joy! And, as a bonus, experts say this will be a particularly bad year.

So what to do to combat the itching, sneezing, wheezing, and general crappy feeling? It depends on what type of allergy you have. Don't run and grab the first over the counter medicine you see, because it may not work! Head to the doctor and ask lots of questions. Then get the medicine.

Here is some basic stuff to know if you have severe seasonal allergies:

1. Take your shoes off the second you walk into your home. If you don't, you'll be tracking pollen all through the house.

2. Use air purifiers. Again, don't just buy it without the research.

3. Wipe down your pets when they enter the house from the outdoors. Same deal as your shoes; they track in pollen.

4. Make sure you get yearly maintenance on your heating and ac system. Otherwise, you build up pollutants in the ducts and continue to breathe it in.

5. If you have a long commute, give your car interior a thorough cleaning. And do it regularly. Think of it as a "mini me" of your home.

Most of us will suffer to some extent no matter what we do to control our allergies, but I hope this helps a little. Happy Spring!