Environmental allergies affect millions of people year-round, not just during pollen season. This guide explores environmental allergies, also known as hay fever or allergies of the eyes and nose.
13 episodes · Patients, families & clinicians
Environmental Allergies
Learn about allergies of the eyes and nose in 5 MODULES
MODULE 1
What are environmental allergies?
From the science of how allergic reactions work to the specific conditions environmental allergies cause in the eyes and nose. Understanding what's happening in your immune system is the first step to managing it effectively.
Ep. 95
How Allergic Reactions Work: The Science Behind Allergy Symptoms
Dr. Gupta and Kortney break down what happens inside your body during an allergic reaction. From how IgE antibodies, mast cells, and histamine work together, the difference between allergies and intolerances, and why some reactions are mild while others are life-threatening.
Ep. 34
What Are Allergies of the Eyes and Nose (Environmental Allergies)?
A deep dive into allergic conjunctivitis and allergic rhinitis. Looking at symptom recognition, the difference between seasonal and perennial triggers, and how environmental allergies are diagnosed through history and testing.
Ep. 57
What Are Ocular Allergies? Unpacking Allergies of the Eyes
A focused look at allergic reactions affecting the eyes, including allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, and atopic keratoconjunctivitis and how mast cell stabilizers, antihistamine eye drops, and steroid drops are used to manage them.
MODULE 2
Treatment
Treatment for environmental allergies ranges from over-the-counter antihistamines and nasal sprays to immunotherapy. These episodes cover what works, what doesn't, and what allergists actually think about the options most patients reach for first.
Ep. 35
How to Treat Environmental Allergies (Allergies of the Eyes and Nose)
A comprehensive overview of environmental allergy treatment, including avoidance techniques, natural remedies, antihistamines, nasal corticosteroid sprays, eye drops, and immunotherapy (allergy shots and sublingual drops). What each option does and who it's right for.
Ep. 150
What Allergists Really Think About Your Allergy Nasal Spray
What allergists actually think about the nasal sprays for allergies. From over-the-counter steroid sprays like Flonase and Nasacort to antihistamine nasal sprays, decongestant sprays, and the rebound effect of overuse. What works best and for whom.
Ep. 151
What Allergists Think About Antihistamines
Learn what allergists think about antihistamines. From first vs. second-generation antihistamine use, sedation, daily use, combining with other medications, and why the antihistamine you've been taking for years may not be the best choice for you.
Ep. 116
Why Fexofenadine Is Considered a Truly Non-Sedating Antihistamine
A systematic review deep dive into fexofenadine. Looking at its minimal brain penetration, lack of sedation compared to cetirizine and loratadine, effectiveness across children and adults, and what brain imaging and impairment testing reveal about how it works.
MODULE 3
Quality of life
Environmental allergies don't just cause sneezing and itchy eyes. Uncontrolled symptoms disrupt sleep, trigger headaches, and affect concentration and mood. These episodes explore the broader impact that too often goes unaddressed in the doctor's office.
Ep. 140 (originally Ep. 40)
The Importance of Sleep and Allergies
How allergies, asthma, and eczema affect sleep, and how poor sleep, in turn, worsens allergic symptoms. Covers nasal congestion, mouth breathing, sleep apnea risk, and what better-controlled allergies can do for rest and daily function.
Ep. 46
Allergy, Headache and Migraine: How Are They Related?
Neurologist Dr. Huma Sheikh explains the connection between allergic inflammation and headache disorders. Looking at how histamine and sinus pressure activate migraine pathways, and why treating the underlying allergy can reduce headache frequency.
MODULE 4
DO YOU HAVE MORE THAN JUST A RUNNY NOSE?
Comorbidities
Many people with environmental allergies also live with asthma, eczema, or chronic sinus conditions. Not because one caused the other, but because these conditions share the same underlying immune pathway. If your symptoms span more than one condition, you're not unusual. These guides can help you understand the full picture.
Conditions connected to environmental allergies
Understand the connection
Why do these conditions so often occur together?
Type 2 inflammation is the shared immune pathway connecting environmental allergies, asthma, eczema, and nasal polyps. Our Type 2 guide explains the science.
MODULE 5
Environment & climate
Pollen seasons are getting longer. Air quality is getting worse. And the air inside your home may be more of a problem than the air outside. These episodes cover how your environment affects your allergies and what you can do about it.
Ep. 144
How Indoor Air Quality Impacts Allergic Disease (Part 1 of 2)
How indoor air quality affects allergies, asthma, and eczema, covering PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, and biological allergens like dust mites and mold, and why the air inside your home may be doing more damage than the air outside.
Ep. 145
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality (Part 2 of 2)
Practical steps for better indoor air quality: ventilation, humidity control, HEPA vs. carbon filters, dust-mite reduction, and common triggers like candles and aerosols that most people don't realize worsen their allergies.
Ep. 74.
Environmental Impact of Climate Change for People with Asthma and Allergies
How climate change affects air quality, allergen exposure, and lung health, especially in vulnerable communities, and what it means for managing asthma and allergies long-term.
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