Springtime sniffles: coping with the itchy nose and watery eyes of hay fever.(YOUR BODY)

Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication, March, 2007 by Webb, Sarah

SPRING'S BLOOMING FLOWERS and budding trees, though beautiful, can also bring itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing: It's hay fever season again. For at least 36 million people in this country, spring is the time to stock up on tissues and antihistamines (medicines that relieve the symptoms) or to visit the doctor for allergy tests and medications. Others, however, don't seem to be affected by allergies at all. What's the deal with allergies, and how can people who suffer from them cope?

More Than Hay, And No Fever

What we commonly call hay fever, doctors call allergic rhinitis. "It's usually not just hay, and you don't get fever from it," says Dr. Phillip Korenblat, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)....