With Spring on the horizon and pollen as its sidekick, diagnosing what ails your child, a cold or allergies, can be as confusing to decipher as what came first the chicken or the egg? While the two share common symptoms, their origin is different.

Is your child constantly rubbing their eyes? Sneezing, especially when outside? Is their nose runny or blocked? And have you noticed if any of these seem to be worse on sunny days? Then it could be hayfever!

Also known as allergic rhinitis, hay fever is an immune response triggered by the various pollens released by local trees and plants as they begin to bloom. At first, you may think your little one has picked up a common cold at school as hay fever often presents with sniffles, a stuffy, runny nose, and sneezing, but if these symptoms begin to show around the same time each year, seasonal allergies are the likely culprit.

The physical symptoms are not the only consequence of hay fever as children may have difficulty focusing in class and feel irritable or fatigued, with severe hay fever leading to the possibility of missing school.

Histamines, naturally occurring compounds in the body, are responsible for creating the symptoms of hay fever. They consider the allergen particles entering the body to be foreign invaders and mount an attack leading to inflammation.

It is important to bring your child to your primary care provider so they can be sent to an allergist to get tested. If the allergens causing their symptoms can be identified, they can be better managed.

Ways to manage your child’s symptoms this season

• Grab some greens. Many allergy friendly plants are known to have air purifying effects such as Dracaena, Bamboo Palm, and Lady Palm. These can help control chemicals and allergens present in the air, and keep your little one breathing better.
• Scrub-a-dub-dub! Along with the dirt collected from a playdate in the park or backyard comes particles of pollen that stick to kids skin and clothes, so encourage them to wash their hair and body while you brainstorm how to get their whites white again.
• Track those sniffles. Technology has eased the burden of seasonal allergies with apps that allow you to log your child’s symptoms, view daily pollen counts in your area, and even receive alerts when the counts are high so you can plan some indoor activities.
• Prepare early with herbal supplements.

Allergy Relief by A.Vogel has been clinically proven to not only treat allergy symptoms but to over time lessen the enthusiasm of your immune system to trap and kill harmless particles. It comes in a nasal spray or tablet format and can be taken by pregnant and nursing women as well as children ages 2+.

It is recommended to start taking Allergy Relief one month prior to the Spring or Fall allergy season to prepare your immune system and significantly reduce your body’s reactions.

References

http://www.aaia.ca/en/allergy_season.htm
http://www.aafa.org/page/AllergyPREP.aspx
http://acaai.org/news/facts-statistics/allergies
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24488258
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/best-worst-plants
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/understanding-hay-fever-basics