That's Fit

I don't know what it's like in your area, but where I live spring allergies are in full force. According to a doctor from the Michigan Sinus Center and the University of Michigan, nasal irrigation is an easy way to get relief. In fact, the doctor states that it's a good first line treatment and is often more effective than medications.

You can buy saline sprays over the counter, but this doctor recommends a solution made with a quarter-teaspoon of kosher salt, eight ounces of warm tap water, and a quarter-teaspoon of baking soda. You can administer the solution using a squeeze bottle and squeezing four ounces into each nostril. If you open your mouth and make a "K" sound the solution will properly exit through the other nostril.

So tell me... is it just me, or does the thought of this give you the heebie-jeebies, too?

Though he claims he never had allergies before moving here to my hometown 10 years ago, my husband came home after a recent allergy test with a sheet filled with items that he reacted to. While I doubt all of his allergies cropped up in the last decade, I do know that our area is bad for people who suffer respiratory illnesses. Though we have no intentions of moving, if we ever do, air quality will definitely be on my list of things to consider.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently named the worst cities for allergy sufferers in America. They ranked their cities by pollen counts, medication usage, and the number of board certified allergists per patient.

The top five include:

• Lexington, KY
• Greensboro, NC
• Johnson City, TN
• Augusta, GA
• Jackson, MS
  

Spring is a notorious time for allergy sufferers. Learn more about prevention and treatment at AOL Body's allergy center.

Do seasonal allergies have you down? It may be time to take a look around your yard. When it comes to shedding pollen, certain trees and plants are worse than others and you may be sharing the same space with the thing that's making you sneeze.

If you love to spend time in your yard or garden and can't due to allergies, you might want to check out this article about creating an allergy-free zone around your home. For instance, when there are both male or female versions of a plant, choosing the female will eliminate pollen altogether. And annuals are generally safe even for people with allergies, because their pollens are large and sticky. Once you know what's in your yard -- and what you're allergic to -- you can start making decisions about what goes and what stays.

So what are the best plants for those with allergies? Check out the Ogren Plant Allergy Scale to find out what's safe to plant and what to stay away from.

Because my main allergy is to mold, the winter freeze brings a welcome relief after the fall leaf mold has finished kicking my butt. So while allergy sufferers like me waited...and waited...and waited...and waited for the first hard frost of winter last winter, we were also wondering what would happen if that freeze never came and what that would mean for spring.

The freeze did finally come, though experts aren't sure what that means for the spring allergy season. Though the late freeze was likely long enough to kill off much of the mold (thank goodness), predictions for those with pollen allergies and hay fever are still up in the air. It's all going to depend on rain, wind, and pollination of local trees.

Hopefully the late winter won't make this season worse than usual, but if you suffer from spring allergies, here are some tips to help you through the season with as few symptoms as possible.

Hay fever is about as unpleasant experience as many of us will ever have. The short fevers, sinus infections, runny noses and scratchy throats are not the preferred way to spend a few days or even a few weeks.

A genetically modified form of rice currently under development in Japan is said to be able and bring relief to Japanese citizens who struggle with hay fever.

For some, the term "genetically modified" anything sounds scary, and especially when related to food consumption. In this case, modified forms of rice could be engineered with health-enhancing characteristics that would be designed to help consumers battle the effects of hay fever.