Apps to Help with Seasonal Allergies
By Tracey Dowdy
Spring is finally here! Or, as we like to call it at my house, “Pass the Kleenex and Benadryl please” season. My longing to open the windows and welcome the fresh air conflicts with my love of breathing and not clawing my eyes out.
If you battle seasonal allergies, take comfort knowing you’re not alone. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), allergies cost Americans over $18 billion every year and are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. Over 50 million Americans fight allergies to foods, additives, animals, medications and chemicals.
Obviously, the easiest way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid your triggers, but easier said than done, especially if your allergies are airborne. These apps can make it safer and easier to get a grip on your seasonal allergies.
- More than just discerning between whether it’s a cold or scurvy, the WebMD app is a great tool for allergy sufferers. Every day you’ll get a personalized allergy and weather forecast plus doctor-approved tips you can customize to you or your family’s specific allergies. You can track symptoms, how you feel, take notes to send to your doctor and search comprehensive information on a wide range of allergies including seasonal, latex, drugs, foods and even insect bites or stings. (iOS and Android)
- Knowing you have Spring allergies is useful but, with as strange as this past winter has been, it can be difficult to decide if it’s the flu, cold or pollen making you miserable. AllergyManager provides you with accurate and reliable information, so you can easily figure it out and then manage your allergy symptoms. Users can check five days of weather and allergy forecasts for multiple locations, as well as keep an allergy diary to record and share symptoms that you can later retrieve and print as a chart or a calendar on My Pollen.com. The app includes detailed information on common allergens like oak, ragweed, grass and goldenrod, and includes thorough descriptions and images of plants. (iOS and Android)
- The answer to your pollen induced fever dream is The ZYRTEC® ALLERGYCAST® The app searches and analyzes weather information in your area as well as social media to discern how the weather may make you feel. You can create individual profiles for you and your family members to track symptoms, customize notifications to be alerted to high pollen counts near you, and even get updates on the impact pollen is having on other allergy sufferers in your area. You can even get a detailed hourly, 10-day weather and allergy forecast. (iOS and Android)
Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.
