Winter Allergies?

If you are allergic to pollen, you may get a break when the weather gets cold. But if you have indoor allergies such as mold and dust mites, you may notice your allergy symptoms more during winter, when you spend more time inside.  When it gets cold and your furnace kicks on, it could send dust, mold spores, and insect parts into the air. These particles can get into your nose and cause an allergic reaction.

Some common indoor allergy triggers are:

• Dust Mite 

• Mold 

• Animals 

Allergy symptoms caused by dust, pollen, or mold include:

• Coughing

• Dark circles under the eyes

• Itchy eyes and nose

• Runny nose

• Sneezing

• Watery eyes

How can you tell whether your symptoms are from a cold, the Flu, or allergies? A cold is a viral illness that usually lasts for less than 10 days. Allergies can linger for weeks or even months.  Also, colds and the Flu sometimes have a fever and aches and pains, which don’t usually happen with allergies.

Remember, winter is a good time to get allergy testing for most people since they are not using the allergy medications that need to be stopped before skin testing.  Please call Northside ENT (317-844-5656) to see one of our doctors and talk about your allergy problems.