Here in the East we have a good news/bad news spring allergy season. At first, pollen levels were low but now they are beginning to ramp up. Let’s assume your allergies and mine are just allergies. Perhaps, if we really need to know exactly what is making us sneeze.

I am a seasonal allergy sufferer who can usually get through the spring and fall with the help of over the counter medication. This spring I downloaded the Zyrtec AllergyCast app. I wanted to see if they would offer any benefit. Both sending alerts, providing allergy and weather forecasts, let users track symptoms. This could help you determine whether its really mold that bothers you and not grass and provide you information and tips for treating allergies.

ZYRTEC® AllergyCast®
Available for iPhone® and Android™, ZYRTEC® AllergyCast® can help you track your allergy symptoms so you can manage your day.  It includes:

• Daily Allergy Impact and pollen count to help you plan your day.

• The Allergy Impact score helps allergy sufferers understand how pollen count might really make them feel.  For example, if the impact score is lower than the pollen count, sufferers may feel better than they think they will.  The Allergy Impact score takes into account weather data from 41,000 U.S. zip codes and regional variations in weather, precipitation and seasonality across the country, automatically adapting to a user’s location to provide a personalized and more accurate analysis of how the user will feel.

• Current, hourly and 10-day weather forecasts, plus 4-day allergy forecasts
• See how pollen is affecting other allergy sufferers in your area.
• Log symptoms, track how you feel and learn what’s making you sneeze.

• Customizable notifications alert you when pollen is high in your area

The app can be downloaded from the App Store.  Here is the link to more information on the ZYRTEC® website: https://www.zyrtec.com/allergy-forecast-tools-apps

I have been using the app the to track the levels and the app said that the potential for allergies was 10 out of 12 for pollens and it was right. The information is very useful, because you will know when exactly the trees are pollinating. It is also great when you are traveling so that you can track it  in different locations. The app is great because allergy suffers are often advised to take medication before systems begin, an app is a great reminder.

Now what about your children well we have that covered also.

 For parents, the Kids Wellness’ Tracker app from the makers of Children’s TYLENOL® and Children’s MOTRIN®, is a free, all-in-one app that brings together the tools you need to help manage your children’s health information more easily. Available for iPhone® and Android™, Kids’ Wellness Tracker can help you look up proper drug dosages, based on your child’s weight and age; log symptoms, appointments and vaccines; get quick information about specific health conditions; and chart kids’ statistics as they grow. By building your children’s custom profiles on Kids Wellness’ Tracker, you’ll have their health histories right at your fingertips to review with your pediatrician. For more information, visit http://www.kidswellnesstracker.com/. 

While it might be easier for adults to tell if them have an allergy or not, it is not so easy with children. I was lucky enough to get a chance to speak with Dr. Tanya Altmann, and find out some of the difference between a cold and allergies.

A cold is something that last for weeks and could be followed with a fever. An allergy is usual consist and appears every March and usually does not come with a fever. It includes itch watery eyes, sneezing, and is long term. You have to remember to take medication before allergy season begins. The doctor was kind enough to give me a guide to taking medications and the ages. Also some other great advice I got regarding allergies was to make sure that your children take showers before entering the house where they would track the pollen in. Finally if your kids are suffering take pictures of their symptoms and send it to your doctor, so that when you go in, they have some information already. Working together with your doctor will give you more control of the situation.

If we have to suffer with allergies it is the best to have the most modern tools to help us be prepared and be able to enjoy the season more.

Johnson & Johnson’s Healthy Essentials platform, has lots of coupon to some great products that can help readers through the Spring. Link here: https://www.healthyessentials.com/printable-coupons