#allergies

Allergist Dr. Prathyusha Savjani explains why oral antihistamines fall short for seasonal allergies — they block histamine but not the inflammation caused by leukotrienes and prostaglandins. Better approach is nasal steroid sprays (Flonase) combined with saline rinses, with immunotherapy as the long-term fix.

Reframed how I think about allergy treatment — oral antihistamines feel like the obvious first move but they're actually pretty limited. The real work is reducing pollen exposure first, then treating inflammation with nasal steroid sprays and saline rinses, with antihistamines only if symptoms persist.