My Head Announces the Arrival of Spring

I don’t need the crocuses to announce the arrival of spring. My head lets me know as the pollen re-emerges. I once again experience my brain becoming like maple syrup and a dull pain in the sinus cavities above my eyes. Then I try to remember how long it will last.

Growing up in Florida, I didn’t have any sign of allergies. I never even heard of anyone taking shots to combat allergies. They just didn’t exist. But most everyone I know in the DC area experiences some sort of seasonal allergies.

Mine started suddenly over 20 years ago after I had a particularly nasty case of walking pneumonia. Those little skin pricks showed that I was allergic to virtually every form of irritant. I was constantly sick with sinus infections. So I started in on allergy shots that I have taken ever since. They eliminated the infections. But there are times like the beginning of spring when the pollen is just too much for the allergy serum. That would be NOW!

I try to pretend I can just tough it out as I ignore the pressure in my sinuses. But by mid-afternoon I pop an Alleve just to get some relief. I hate taking any form of medication and figure there must be something better than Alleve, but I haven’t bothered to find out what it might be. I tell myself, "It always gets better after a few weeks."

As I sit here in a fog with my head already pounding, I think of how nice it would be to go back to bed, to sit on a beach, to do just about anything other than deal with the daily crises that have become a routine part of my work day.

Does anyone know a natural way to deal with the onslaught of pollen? PLEASE tell me!