Watch CBS News

Determining Cause Of Winter Allergies Can Prove Difficult

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When you think of seasonal allergies, you probably think spring, or even summer.

However, winter allergies can be just as bad.

In fact, sometimes they're worse because it's not as easy to figure out what's causing them.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to get them under control.

While preparing for the holidays, Chloe Papke expects the seasonal triggers for her allergies.

"I try and make sure when I'm in the store to sniff test everything before I buy it, to see if it's going to be something that will trigger me when I'm using it to clean," Papke said. "If it's really bad dusting, I'll wear a dust mask."

In addition to cleaning, she has to worry about decorating.

"Not being able to really have candles, because I'm allergic to a lot of those scents," she said.

Then, there are some issues when visiting people for the holidays.

"I would walk into a cat house and I'd spend most of the time in the bathroom, with tissues and blowing my nose. I was just absolutely miserable," Papke said.

For some people, the watery eyes, sniffles and sneezing come at this time of year.

"Sometimes, the turning on of the heat stirs up a bunch of leftover dust and pollens from the summer," Dr. Allison Freeman, an allergist at Allegheny General Hospital, said. "Dust mites can be something that they notice when they're emptying out boxes from the attic for Christmas."

Dust mites can also live in your bedding, and prefer humidity.

"We can actually make ourselves worse with this one by running humidifiers and vaporizers too much of the time," Dr. Freeman said.

The symptoms of winter allergies can be subtle.

"You can be just congested, or just coughing, or just snoring," Dr. Freeman said.

Just as with allergies at other times of the year, skin testing can identify what you should avoid. Antihistamines and other allergy medicines, and allergy shots are your best bets for relief.

"I like artificial Christmas trees for my patients who have bad allergies, I like the idea of a little less clutter, less things out on tables, maybe a few outdoor decorations, but not so much indoors," Dr. Freeman said.

"What's helped the most is taking things like Zyrtec or Cetirizine and allergy shots," Papke said. "If I'm in a house, and there's a candle lit, and it's bothering me, I just ask politely if they could maybe blow that out for my sake."

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.