Show me how to: Avoid allergies

Spring has arrived, and while that means greenery on campus and warmer weather, it also means runny noses and itchy eyes that come with springtime allergies. The Daily Lobo sat down with UNM physician Peggy Spencer, who has worked at the Student Health and Counseling clinic for 21 years. We asked her how students should try to prevent and treat their seasonal allergies.

Avoid allergens

With strong winds this spring season and the weather being particularly dry, avoiding allergies is a difficult task, but there are measures students can take to limit the chances of coming into contact with them.

“A few small things you can do to prevent pollen from accumulating include wiping down your pets, taking your shoes off at your front door, and changing your pillowcase frequently,” Spencer said.

She said closing your windows at night can also limit pollen exposure as trees drop more pollen at night. Spencer said students who really want to stay on top of their allergies can visit cabq.gov/cmaqpublic to get the day’s pollen counts and sign up for email notifications of daily pollen counts.

Clean off allergens

“The best strategy to counteract this is to try to get all of the pollen off of you,” Spencer said. Neti pots or sinus rinse systems that use a saline solution to rinse pollen out of the nostrils are effective for counteracting allergies internally. Spencer said if students get itchy eyes she suggests getting over-the-counter eye drops like Naphcon A.

Take medicines or get a shot

If neither avoiding allergies nor cleaning them off you works, then the last resort is either taking pills or receiving shots. Spencer said the clinic on UNM campus does not provide shots for students, but the pharmacy does provide decongestants and antihistamines to students.

“There is a one-time steroid shot that you can get to fight allergies, but some say that is kind of dangerous,” she said. “There is also allergy immunotherapy which involves going to a particular allergist to get allergy shots once a week. This is a sort of desensitization process that is only effective if nothing else works.”

Go to the campus clinic

Students who face difficulties treating their allergies on their own can always visit the clinic on campus if they need special treatment or advice. aSpencer said because the clinic has been busy this spring she advises students to call and make appointments early if they need treatment.