Tips On New, OTC Options That Could Help Spring Allergy Sufferers

TORRANCE (CBSLA) — A beautiful Spring day in L.A. means a lot of sniffling and sneezing for some Angelenos, and while no one treatment is the cure-all, one SoCal doctor has some suggestions to make this allergy season a little less miserable.

For Mary Watanabe, her over-the-counter antihistamine and nasal spray aren't cutting it this time around.

"I think my nose just got more runny," Watanabe tells CBS2 News as she holds her bottles.

Torrance allergy specialist Joshua Davidson, MD, MPH, tells CBS2 says that lot of those medications "treat the symptoms, but not the underlying problem," adding that patients often tell him they have weakened immune systems. However, he says allergies can be a sign of a strong immune response.

Davidson says a traditional allergy shot is one way to treat the overreaction to pollen and dander.

"Repeated treatments with injections that include what you're allergic to, slowly increasing them" can alleviate symptoms, says Davidson. He adds that new, at-home treatments administered under the tongue are also available.

The difference between the traditional allergy shot, given by a doctor, and the sublingual treatment is that the former is given every week, then every two weeks, then every three to four weeks for up to two years.

The home treatment, by contrast, is taken every day for a year.

Over-the-counter supplements like quercetin, turmeric and vitamin D can also help, says Davidson.

He also says air purifiers at home, vacuuming the floor once a week, washing sheets in the hot cycle, showering at night and keeping windows closed as much as possible can keep allergy reactions down.

Starting last year, Google has included a daily pollen count forecast in its search results, which could serve as a good heads-up for the pollen-wary.