Indy Standard

• Fall allergies typically begin in August and can last  through October.

• To diagnose allergies, doctors may recommend either a blood test or a skin test.

• Some treatments options include over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays and immunotherapy.

Indianapolis Sinus Center is offering allergy sufferers a way to obtain the benefits of allergy shots without injections and avoid the hassle of frequent office visits, as well as the discomfort associated with shots.

The treatment is a form of allergy immunotherapy known as "sublingual immunotherapy," which involves self-administered allergy drops.

“Rather than doing shots, you can do this at home where you put a drop or two under your tongue once a day,” Dr. Anthony Sanders of Indianapolis Sinus Center told Indy Standard. “It has the same effect as allergy shots, generating antibodies that block the allergic response occurring in the first place. It's the way allergy treatment has been done in Europe for decades, but it's fairly new to the United States. The other advantage to not having to go in for allergy shots, the inconvenience of all that, is that it can be done at home and the systemic reaction rate with it is so small, it almost doesn't occur. So it's a lot safer and it's quicker.”

People who suffer from seasonal allergies typically start to feel the effects of fall allergy triggers in August, as ragweed begins to release pollen, according to WebMD. These symptoms can last through September and October as well. The wind can carry ragweed pollen for hundreds of miles, so people who don't live where ragweed grows can still be affected.

Another common fall allergy trigger is mold, which grows in piles of damp leaves. Seasonal allergy sufferers could also be affected by dust mites, which can stir as people begin to turn on the heat in their homes in the fall. Dust mites are also common in schools, and they can affect students returning to their classrooms.

Common allergy symptoms include a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes and noses.

To diagnose allergies, doctors will review the patient's symptoms and medical history and then may recommend either a blood test or a skin test, according to WebMD. For a skin test, the doctor will place a small amount of the allergen on the patient's skin, typically on the forearm or back. If the patient is allergic to that particular allergen, a small, itchy bump will appear.

Depending on the type and severity of a patient’s allergies, Mayo Clinic says that various treatment options could be recommended, including over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays and carrying an emergency epinephrine shot, such as an EpiPen, for severe allergies.

If you’re interested in learning more about treating allergies, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.