Colorado doctor shares tips for relieving suffering

DENVER — Allergies are back in Colorado and the season is shaping up to be active this spring after a winter that brought lots of snow across the state. Denver7 Jason Grünauer spoke with Dr. Mark Montana, Medical Director of CareNow Urgent Care and shared what allergy sufferers see and offered treatment tips to help relieve sneezing and watery eyes.

Jason Gruenauer, Denver7
Dr Mark, I have to ask you, what’s the latest on this year’s allergy season?

Dr. Mark Montana, CareNow Urgent Care Medical Director
That’s a very good question, Jason. And I think this year is going to be a very active allergy season, we had a really good winter with all the snow and humidity. And all that moisture means a good spring and a good growing season. We are already starting to see that. So we see a number of our patients complaining of allergy symptoms. Right now as we step into spring

Jason Grünauer
Kind of an interesting correlation here – between how much snow we get and how much allergy symptoms we may have. Do we think this is going to be a bigger than normal allergy season for those of us who have to suffer?

Dr Mark Montana
Well, I would say yes, that’s what I would expect just based on what I see. And again, the fact that we had a lot of humidity to really see these plants as they hibernated through the winter, and now they’re coming out.

Jason Grünauer
So for you and me, if we have these kinds of allergy symptoms, it can be as simple as going to the pharmacy and grabbing something over-the-counter – Claritin and a nasal spray. For those of us with children, however, who suffer from allergy symptoms, I think it can be a bit trickier. So what should parents do if they suspect their children are suffering from seasonal allergies?

Dr Mark Montana
Well, that’s a very good question. We look at our patients in different age groups, and the little ones – those kids under two years old – can have allergies, and they can be miserable, really stuffy, congested bags under their eyes. And there are safe treatments even for the little ones, something as simple as saline irrigation.

Thus, nasal saline irrigation has been shown to be effective in these very small children two years of age and younger. After you pass the age of two, and before you are truly an adult, many of the treatments will be the same as for adults. Really, the mainstay will be a safe nasal steroid. All of these drugs are now available over the counter. So it’s really about making sure you choose the right medication for the age and the condition. We now have antihistamines, again as you requested with our pediatric kit they may not work as well with some of the older, longer acting and more sedating antihistamines. And we like to stick with these newer, longer-acting antihistamines that have fewer side effects, especially in our pediatric patients.

Jason Grünauer
Before I let you talk about the flip side, is there anything that adults or children, be it adults or children, shouldn’t do? What?

Dr Mark Montana
There are lots of things you can do.
I think the things you shouldn’t do are take drugs that are fraught with side effects. So long-acting antihistamines tend to make us drowsier, they are sedating. And some of these decongestants can cause problems in our elderly patients that can make us feel anxious, heart rate can increase and can even affect our blood pressure. So really it depends on age and age related side effects.

Jason Grünauer
And obviously, if you feel something has reached a serious level, see your GP or, if necessary, head to your local emergency care. Doctor Mark Montana. Thank you very much for the time.

If you’re wondering how Denver compares to other cities, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has ranked the nation’s worst cities for dealing with allergies. THE Denver metro area ranked 67 overall in 2023 compared to other cities. To see the full report and rankings here.