Allergies
With spring just a sneeze and an itchy nose around the corner, USC students with allergies are rushing indoors. For South Carolina natives, the golden layers coating everything from cars to the tops of swimming pools are not surprising, nor are the itchy eyes, runny noses, fatigue and congestion associated with the onset of pollen.
However, for students hailing from different parts of the country, a Columbia spring can quickly dampen spirits. Nurse practitioner Patricia Felmly of the Thomson Student Health Center says that allergies can vary for students from different areas of the country. The introduction to different trees and grasses can set off an allergic reaction because the pollen type has never before been encountered. Because non-natives have never had to deal with the symptoms, they are more likely to lack the medicines that are prescribed to students living in the South who have experienced allergies in the past.
As anyone who has pollen allergies knows, the symptoms associated with them can hinder daily activities such as exercising or even walking to class. The best ways to treat allergies are with medicines. Felmly recommends antihistamines and decongestants if you have a stuffy nose, and allergy shots for those who have more severe forms of allergies. The Student Health Center provides all of these things to students.
Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to rid the body completely of allergies. Medicines merely treat the symptoms, and do not actually free your body from the allergic reaction.
While taking medicine is the best way to treat your allergy symptoms, there are other ways to alleviate nasty headaches, runny noses, etc. Nurse Felmly offers some tips:
- Improve your environment. Don’t open your windows if you know you suffer from pollen allergies. Turn the air conditioning on, and if you are in your car, circulate the air to get the pollen moving.
- Watch the Weather Channel. The news offers a daily pollen count in the spring. Felmly says if the pollen count is high, you don’t want to do what you need to do outside. Try to do it in an indoor environment.
None of this should scare students away from the outdoors in Columbia, however. Just try to keep a pack of Kleenex handy.
