Some summer allergy tips from NetWellness.org:

In addition to the new generation of prescription medication that’s bringing relief to allergy sufferers, there are a number of self-help measures that can help allergic persons get through another summer.

• Wear a pollen mask when outdoors for a long period of time. (A half-hour or more.)
• Keep doors and windows buttoned up during heavy pollen counts; and turn the air-conditioner to “recirculate.”
• Change or clean air-conditioner filters at least monthly.
• If using a room air-conditioner, keep it off when no one is at home. Once it is turned on, keep the room vacated for at least thirty minutes as some window units emit short bursts of mold when they are first activated.
• Stay out of fields of corn, grain and soybeans - places where ragweed loves to grow.
• Avoid high diving. The pressure changes that come with diving into water can aggravate ears that “pop” and/or are plugged due to the symptoms caused by allergens.
• Be proactive. Prevent autumn, winter indoor allergens by lowering indoor humidity in the summer months (with the help of a dehumidifier or air-conditioner). Dust mites depend on a high humidity summer for their autumn population explosion.

Here a great 5-step remedy with tons of explanation for the spring allergy season, compliments of ABC News.

1. Wash your nose: Neti Pots, which resemble little tea pots, can be filled with a warm salt-water solution and poured up a nostril—thereby flooding the nasal cavity. In parts of India and southeast Asia, nasal irrigation is part of one’s daily routine—like washing your face and brushing your teeth.

Dr. Allan Sosin, director of the Institute for Progressive Medicine in Irvine, Calif., says regular irrigation thins out mucus, which otherwise holds onto allergens and serves as a breeding ground for bacteria. Bacteria, he says, inflames the linings of the nasal passages, making them more susceptible to allergens.

2. Eat your herbs: You will definitely want to consult with your doctor before taking any new drug, herbal or otherwise. That said, Beth Israel’s Dr. Woodson Merrell references a growing body of evidence demonstrating that American Stinging Nettles, an herb called perilla, a.k.a. the Beefsteak plant, and a European herb called Butterbur all have anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties.

Says Merrell: “As with any herb you can pick or buy the herb and make a tincture or tea yourself, or you can buy an herbal capsule. You can try one or another, or a combination with very little risk of side effects. As to which works best, it’s highly individual.”

Although it’s not an herb, another supplement he says is worth trying is Quercetin, a bioflavonoid found in cayenne pepper, hot ginger, fenugreek, onion, and garlic.

You can also make sure your diet contains plenty of the spicy stuff. “It’s always best to start with the whole food, but you’d have to eat an awful lot of onions to get the benefit of a capsule.” But if adding these foods to your diet brings relief, he adds, that may be all you need.

3. Take a break from milk: Even if you do not have a milk allergy, many doctors, including California’s Sosin, believe milk and dairy products increase mucus production. It also tends to make mucus thicker, says Sosin, creating a perfect environment for bacteria and allergens to thrive. He suggests eliminating dairy during allergy season to see if there’s any improvement.

4. Sleep with a HEPA: As nice as it is to sleep with the windows open, there is a good chance you will wake up feeling much more refreshed if you keep a HEPA filter running in your bedroom day and night.

Says Sosin: “Most people run into trouble at night. And I’ve seen sufferers who sleep on down pillows, or with their pets on the bed. People love their pets. It’s hard to get someone to get rid of a pet, but they don’t have to sleep in the same room.”

Bianca Alexander, host of a network-affiliated show dedicated to natural health and sustainable, “Conscious Living,” says that the average home contains at least as many allergens as the outdoors: “Synthetic carpet, formaldehyde, certain paints, and cleaning products are serious culprits,” she says, adding that air filters can help, but simple fixes like using less toxic house cleaners can be effective as well.

5. Be patient: Natural remedies generally don’t work in a hour, so try not to expect instant relief. And if you’re still clinging to your antihistamine like a life preserver, many doctors say why not—for example—experiment with changing your diet and flushing your nostrils at the same time?

In other words, one need not choose between “alternative” and “traditional” medicine. Many doctors agree that both have pros and cons, depending on the health issue. If you’re seeing a doctor who is unbiased in either direction, there’s a good chance you’ll get solid advice.

Suffering from allergies and don’t know how to treat them? Well, most of the time, a doctor will decide, but there’s no harm in doing a little research of your own first. We pulled these allergy medication descriptions from a great article on HealthCentral.com that explains allergies and compares the different kinds of treatments.

First-generation antihistamines. These are the original medicines developed to treat allergy symptoms and are available over the counter. These medications are generally effective, but have some bothersome side effects, especially drowsiness, which makes it difficult to take them on a regular basis. Examples are Benadryl and Chlortrimeton.

Second-generation antihistamines. These medicines don’t cause the same level of drowsiness as their predecessors, though some of them can still cause mild sedation in some people. However, they are all highly effective and can be taken on a regular basis with very few side effects. They also come in long-lasting versions, so you only need to take them once a day. Examples are Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin. The first two are only available by prescription; Claritin has been sold over the counter for a couple of years, and also has a number of generic versions (loratidine).

Leukotriene modifiers. Singulair falls into this category and it is used for both allergies and asthma. It blocks leukotrienes, another body chemical that is involved in the allergic response.

Homeopathic medicines. This is an alternative treatment for allergies, whereby you take tiny amounts of allergens by mouth to slowly de-sensitize you over time to allergens.

The easiest way to treat allergic symptoms is to simply avoid whatever it is that you are allergic to. However, since the most common allergies are environmental, avoidance is often very difficult if not impossible. Other treatments—medications and allergen immunotherapy—exist to help subdue allergy symptoms and/or build immunity to allergens. However, no treatments currently exist that cure allergies entirely.

A few tips to avoid environmental allergies:

• Try to keep your pets from going into you bedroom if possible. Bathing them often can help reduce the amount of dander they have on them.
• Hard surfaces do a better job of managing the amount of dust in your room. If possible, remove all carpeting and throw rugs from living spaces.
• Clean your room and your bedding often - wash your sheets weekly in hot water. Use mattress and pillow encasements to keep dust mite populations down.
• Keep your windows closed and use air-conditioning to circulate air in your home. AC units help filter the air and reduce the humidity that dust mite populations or mold thrive on.
• Avoid certain damp areas, such as your basement, that may house mold spore. On that same note, keep your bathroom and kitchen clean and dry.
• Change your clothing after being outside. Allergens can cling to your clothes.

A lot of medications exist to subdue the affect of environmental allergies. Anti-histamines, in the form of nasal sprays and oral tablets, help control allergic rhinitis, while serious symptoms, such anaphylaxis, can be treated by an injection of epinephrine.

Although this treatment can be time-consuming, sometimes painful and expensive, allergen immunotherapy can be an effective way to permanently subdue allergy symptoms without the use of nasal sprays or tablets. Small amounts of the allergens are injected into your body until your body is able to build immunity by developing antibodies, eventually stopping any inflammatory response in the future.

If you suspect that you have an allergy, it is very possible that you do. Some form of allergy affects one-third of the population, whether they suffer a stuffy nose or anaphylaxis. To know for sure, you can visit an allergist, a doctor who specializes in allergy treatment. The allergist will likely perform both a skin patch test and a blood test to learn about whether or not other people in your family posses similar symptoms, as allergies can be genetic. The information that they obtain can help them isolate which substances you are allergic to, which is invaluable to treating the allergy.

The most common causes of allergies are environmental allergens such as airborne particles from dust mites, mold spores, animal dander and pollen from grass, ragweed and trees. Environmental allergens are typically associated with allergic asthma.

Medicines and chemicals can also affect people with allergies. Antibiotics are commonly associated with allergic symptoms, though many over-the-counter medications can cause reactions as well. The chemicals in some cosmetics and laundry detergents can often cause mild allergic symptoms such as rashes or itchy skin.

Food allergies are common mostly among children and infants. Most symptoms are mild, such as runny nose, rashing and diarrhea, though serious food allergies can cause a person to go into anaphylactic shock. Dairy products and seafood are two of the most common foods to cause allergic symptoms.

Allergies are sensitivities to substances that are typically harmless to most people. Symptoms are characterized by inflammatory responses such as rhinitis, asthma symptoms or anaphylaxis. One in five people suffer from allergies in the United States.

In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the irritant (allergen) within these substances. These antibodies cause the body to release the chemical histamine into the bloodstream, which acts on a person’s eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin or gastrointestinal system to cause inflammatory responses. These allergic reactions occur each time you are exposed to the allergen.

Allergic reactions can be mild, including rhinitis symptoms—better known as hay fever. The symptoms include a runny nose, itching in the nose, eyes, throat, or roof of the mouth; frequent sneezing, plugged ears, subdued sense of smell or nasal congestion, among others.

Allergies can also be more severe, causing asthma symptoms, and difficulty in breathing. While asthma is not always related to allergies, an asthma attack is often a person’s allergic reaction to an allergen that is breathed into the lungs.

A severe and much less common symptom of allergies, causing difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, and swelling of the lips, tongue & throat, is called anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. A lot of time, anaphylaxis can cause loss of consciousness or even result in death.