Allergies

I can’t believe it’s already April. A few short weeks ago, I was wishing for spring and now that it has sprung, I’m having a hard time. For one reason…allergies.

Up until last year, I had no concept of allergies. I would hear people talk about it and think, “big deal. So you’ve got a cold.” Boy was I wrong. I don’t know if anything feels worse than a balloon head, with a drippy nose and itchy throat. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m one of the lucky ones that also gets irritated, itchy eyes so I always look like I’m crying. And for the cherry on top…because of the watery eyes, keeping my make-up on is next to impossible. Great! So I get to feel miserable and feel ugly.

Since my research on allergies (and more importantly how to get rid of them) is in full swing, I thought I’d share a few fascinating/boring (depending on your point of view) statistics, according to WebMD:
• One in five people in the U.S. have either allergy or asthma symptoms.
• 55% of the U.S. population tests positive to one or more allergens.
• Allergies rank 5th among other leading chronic diseases.
• It’s estimated that the annual cost of allergies to the health care system and businesses is $7.9 billion.
• Each year, hay fever causes 4 million lost work days.

Do any of you have allergies? How do you survive? What do you do? What do you take? Please share any secret tricks that work for you!