Caitlin Whyte (Host): Well, the groundhog did not see his shadow this year, so spring should be here any day now. And with the warmer weather and blooming flowers comes those dreaded springtime allergies. To talk more about finding some relief, we are joined by Dr. Matthew Norris, a fellowship-trained allergy and immunology specialist at Guthrie.

 This is Medical Minds: Conversations with Guthrie Experts, a podcast from the Guthrie Clinic. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Dr. Norris, it's so great to have you with us here today.

Dr. Matthew Norris: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

Host: So, could you start us off by identifying the most common allergens that trigger spring allergies in the Twin Tiers region? How do these allergens differ from those in other parts of the country?

Dr. Matthew Norris: In the Twin Tier regions, the main thing that we're going to be seeing in the spring season, which is coming up the next month, is going to be tree pollens. In this area, we're going to be seeing things like birch, elm, maple, oak. These are very common in this area. We also get cottonwoods out in other parts of the country. They may have different types of trees that they're exposed to or depending on if it's a warmer area, they might even get some like grasses and some weeds. But for the most part, in the next month or so, it's mostly going to be tree pollens that we're seeing.

Host: All right. Well, we know some of the most common seasonal allergy symptoms are sneezing, runny nose, especially with that pollen in the air. What are some other symptoms that might point to seasonal allergies?

Dr. Matthew Norris: Itchy eyes, watery eyes, sometimes like that puffy feeling of the eye, that's stuff that's very commonly experienced with any kind of seasonal allergy. Also, stuffy nose, itchy nose, runny nose, a drip down the back of the throat. Also, sneezing is very common. In people with asthma, we may even see that they have a little more shortness of breath during their pollen season, if they have seasonal allergies.

Host: Well, we often hear that prevention is the best form of treatment. So based on your expertise, doctor, what are some effective preventative measures that our listeners can take to minimize their exposure to allergens during the spring?

Dr. Matthew Norris: If you want to minimize your symptoms during the spring season, one of the important things that we can do is when you're home, make sure you keep your windows closed. You don't want to keep them open for climate control. You really want to use the heating or air conditioning that you have in your home, depending on the weather that day. That's going to help keep the pollens from coming in. Additionally, when you're driving in the car, you want to drive with the windows up and have the air just going through the cabin filters. This helps to minimize the amount of pollens you're breathing in through the season.

Host: Well, on that note, let's also talk medications, which are of course very helpful as well. There are so many over-the-counter allergy treatments, the options can really be overwhelming. So, how do we know which one is the right one to take?

Dr. Matthew Norris: For very mild allergies, you may be able to pick up an oral antihistamine. These are things like cetirizine, Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, some of these brands many people are familiar with. But if you have stronger allergy symptoms, you may need a nose spray. Nose sprays tend to work very well for seasonal allergies. These are things like Flonase, Nasacort, Rhinocort. They do need to be used every day and they do need to build up over a couple days in order to get the full effect. So even if you're not noticing a symptom right away, it takes a while for them to kick in.

There's a different type of nose spray that is very similar to the oral allergy pills you may be familiar with. It's called azelastine, it's over-the-counter as Astepro. This is a medication that works a lot faster. This could be used up to twice a day or as recommended by your primary care doctor. There are other types of allergy pills that your doctor can prescribe or medications. And in some people, allergy shots are a good option.

Host: And how do we get the most out of these allergy medications?

Dr. Matthew Norris: I would review with your primary care doctor about how to use the medications. One of the biggest things that we notice is that we don't go over how to use nose sprays enough. And by just kind of angling the spray a little better, utilizing the spray a little better, we can improve how well it works.

Host: Wow, I never knew that. Thank you for sharing. And my last question for you today, doctor. There seems to be an ongoing discussion about the role of natural remedies in managing spring allergies, such as using certain herbal extracts. So, what is your professional opinion on that matter? Are there any natural remedies you would recommend?

Dr. Matthew Norris: I've seen a lot of natural remedies that have been well studied, but I have people that tell me it works for them. And there are a few that I have seen brought up in the allergy office, like Sinusol, there's many different brands out there that people try and they say it really does work for them. So, I would welcome looking over any new papers that come out, but I do hear some good things about some of the herbal products that are out there. So, I do keep an open mind to it.

Host: Well, just some wonderful tips here. Thank you so much, Dr. Norris, for sharing. And thank you for listening. You can find out more online at guthrie.org/allergy. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social media and check out the full podcast library for other topics of interest to you.

 This has been Medical Minds: Conversations with Guthrie Experts, a podcast from the Guthrie Clinic. I'm Caitlin Whyte.