While March winds and April showers tend to bring the proverbial May flowers, the wind and rain of early spring also bring a sense of dread to one-third of all Americans.

For these Americans, warm weather means tree pollen, ragweed pollen and other allergens, which mean constant misery through much of spring. Recent studies and polls show that seasonal allergy susceptibility is on the rise.

According to CBS and ABC news programs, 35 million Americans suffer from allergies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture attributes the increase to the rise in carbon dioxide rates which means plants grow faster, ultimately leading to more pollen in the air.

Currently, about half of all children suffer from allergies, and while the number drops to one in three by adulthood, the sufferers are a vocal minority. On campus, they can be heard sneezing on the bus, sniffling in class and blowing their noses while shopping for sinus medicine.

“Generally speaking, the peak allergy season for outdoor pollens and molds is from the spring to fall months,” said Dr. Peter Baum. “In the early spring, tree pollen tends to be a problem and grass pollen in May and June and then ragweed pollen bursts on the scene in August and September.”

Baum is the only board-certified allergist and allergy immunologist in DeKalb County and says he is swamped with patients during spring and summer.

There are no cures for allergies, but Baum makes many suggestions for treatments and prevention.

“Avoidance always is the best,” Baum said. “[But] it’s difficult to avoid the outdoor problems. Air-conditioning is a help because it can filter some of these pollens.”

Walking from class to class exposes students to more allergens than most other adults. Likewise, many apartments and dorms do not have air conditioning, so students have to choose between opening their windows to stay cool or keeping sheltered from pollen.

If avoidance doesn’t work, Baum suggests a range of medications for allergy sufferers.

“The newer antihistamines like Claratin, Allegra and Zyrtic are quite good, and they don’t sedate people,” Baum said.

He also recommends prescription nasal sprays for quick relief.

“There are a few prescription nasal sprays that are very good, such as Flonase, Nasacort, Nasonex, Rhinocort,” he said. “They are safe and non-addicting. If these medicines fail or if side effects are encountered, allergen immunotherapy [or allergy injections] can work well. This is a form of modifying someone’s immunity so they won’t be effected by some of these allergens.

“First [the patient] has to be tested to see what he or she is allergic to. Skin testing still remains the most effective way of doing this. There are blood tests which are available, but they are not as accurate, and they’re more expensive. Once the testing is done and we find out what the person is allergic to and we correlate it with their history, we may prescribe allergy injections.”

These injections consist of small doses of the necessary allergen injected in the sufferer’s bloodstream. Over time, the doses are increased, and the body begins to produce blocking antibodies. That way, when the sufferer is exposed to the allergen throughout the day, his or her body can fight off the reaction more easily.

While Baum spoke positively about the effectiveness of allergy shots, he did have some words of caution regarding the testing.

“You want to see a trained, board certified specialist for the testing,” he said. “There are physicians who practice allergy medicine, but they aren’t really trained in it.”

Prescriptions are undoubtedly the most effective and practical method of taking control of seasonal allergies, but seeing a doctor is not always easy for students. Instead, they decide to combat allergy problems on their own, with the help of friends like Tylenol Allergy Sinus, Sudafed and Afrin Nasal Spray. However, Baum advises that sufferers be careful in taking over-the-counter medications.

“Some of the over-the-counter medications can make you tired, and some of them can be dangerous, if you are playing sports, driving, operating heavy machinery or drinking alcohol,” Baum said. “Some of the decongestants that are mixed in with the antihistamines can raise your blood pressure and cause problems that way. The over-the-counter nasal sprays are particularly addicting and dangerous for your nose, so they shouldn’t be used on any kind of a regular basis.”

Baum suggests asking a pharmacist for advice on which over-the-counter medication is most effective, healthiest and safest for you.