After a long, cold winter, many students at UNA are thankful that spring has finally arrived.

Unfortunately, with warmer weather come seasonal allergies from allergens such as pollen.

Some allergies to substances such as pollen can cause sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and itchy, watery eyes, experts said.

Many students at UNA are suffering from this particular allergy.

“I take an antihistamine everyday and keep a steady supply of Kleenex and nose spray handy,” said Jessi Wood, a freshman at UNA. “When it gets too much to deal with, I go to the infirmary and see if they can give me something to clear all this mess up.”

There are some things students can do to prevent or reduce allergic reactions.

“(One thing students can do) is plan their time of activity outdoors,” said Charlotte Cramer, assistant professor of nursing at UNA. “Many experts feel that the best time to be outdoors related to lower pollen count is early in the morning and late evening.

“However, others disagree and feel that it doesn’t matter since the pollen is there. I guess a person just needs to check on the pollen count and plan activities accordingly. One thing, too, is when they’re in the car, (they can) keep the windows up and run the air conditioner with the recirculation setting.”

Allergies are not just limited to pollen, experts said.

“(I’m allergic) to cats and mowed grass,” said Kelcy Paulsen, UNA senior. “I take an Allegra and go to sleep.”

Medications are great for treating allergies, but there are other ways to treat the symptoms before taking medicine.

“One thing I strongly encourage is to use nasal irrigation systems, such as Neti pots,” Cramer said. “Those are great to just cleanse out the whole nasal passage and the sinuses.”

She does, however, believe oral antihistamines, are very important and takes them herself.

“The suggested ones that are over the counter are Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra,” she said. “The advantage of those is they are taken once a day and not several times a day. Benadryl is one that people can take, but the disadvantage of Benadryl is the fact that to get the full effect, you take it three or four times a day. The real disadvantage is the drowsiness it causes.”

To save money, Cramer said, generic medications are usually less expensive and are probably just as effective. She also said some over-the-counter topical nose sprays can be helpful, but they should be used with caution and should not be used for more than two to three days at a time because they run some risks of dependency.

There are many remedies to treat allergies, Cramer said, but if they get to be too much to handle, consult a physician.