Pharmacy student Traci Reid fills prescriptions at Sigler Pharmacy, 4951 W. 18th St. The pharmacy, like others in town, offers an array of allergy medications. by Richard Gwin

The dip in temperature may mean relief for the sweltering, but for many Kansans, the seasonal shift has brought with it the dreaded sneezing, runny noses and itchy eyes of allergies.

An estimated 36 million Americans suffer from some form of seasonal allergies, but how do you to tell when an occasional annoyance requires medical attention?

Warren Frick, a specialist at Asthma, Allergy and Rheumatology Associates, 346 Maine St., says mild cases — marked by inflammation of the eyes and nose — can be treated with over-the-counter remedies. Moderate to severe cases, on the other hand, require prescription drugs as over-the-counter aids do little to help and complications such as sinus infections and even asthma may develop if the inflammation is untreated.

Frick said that if the typical symptoms of irritation in the nose and eyes is accompanied by wheezing, coughing or tightness of breath, it may be seasonal allergies accompanied by the more severe ailment of asthma.

"Asthma is really just allergies in the lungs," he said.

Patients often confuse allergies with bacterial and viral infections, which start to become more common during this time of year, too. But infections typically cause aches and chills where mild allergies do not.

For mild allergy sufferers, finding relief from the effects of ragweed and pollen in the air is often a process of trial and error, as they try different antihistamines, drops and physical methods such as salt water sinus baths.

It can be a costly venture to guess and check which medications work, but pharmacist Jeff Sigler of Sigler Pharmacy, 4525 W. Sixth St., says it's the only way to combat symptoms for these mild allergens.

"That's why they call it 'practicing' medicine," Sigler said.

Trying different over-the-counters carries little risk, except the drowsiness caused by some, such as Benadryl, which Sigler said works well to get rid of the symptoms but also is good at putting its users to sleep.

Sigler said he often recommends mild sufferers try eating locally produced honey as a sort of homeopathic exposure treatment, hopefully building an increased immunity to the plant matter in the air that causes the allergies.

Mild symptoms will always be an issue for many throughout the country, Frick said. When no over-the-counter seems to provide relief, it's time to see a doctor or nurse, but for the majority, topical solutions or oral antihistamines should, eventually, provide relief.

"Nobody's holding any secret trick to 'solving' allergies," he said.

That time of year by alex_garrison