Spring is around the corner, it means warmer weather, flowers blooming, but also pollen, allergy, lots of sneezing, wheezing and itchy eyes. If you are someone who rarely enjoys this season, and spends most of it battling congestion and brain fog, then this is for you! Learn how to manage your spring allergies.

Spring allergies can be treated with simple lifestyle changes, and if at all it is required, even advanced medical interventions too can take care of it. Here are some tips that the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) recommends:

Home Remedies

Before turning to medications, try considering these lifestyle changes and see if it works:

1. Shut Your Windows: Pollen counts are usually at the highest in early morning and evening. This is the time when you can start keeping your windows and doors closed. Whether you are at your home or in your car, this way you can prevent pollen from entering. You can also use air conditioning instead of opening the windows and keep the indoor cool.

2. Bed-Time Routine: If you have spent your day outdoors, the best thing to do is to take a shower and change your clothes before you hit the bed. This is a great way to get rid of pollen from your clothes, skin, and hair. This will reduce your chance of sleeping om a pillow full of pollen

3. Air Purifiers: You can use HEPA, also known as the High-efficiency particulate air filters, which can catch pollen, pet dander and dust and other kinds of air purifier to filter out allergens.

4. Limit Outdoor Activities: Try to limit your activities especially early in the morning and in the evening. If you must go, put on a mask. An N-95 mask, which had peaked during COVID-19 times could come handy even now.

5. Spring Cleaning: Clean your house, and other surfaces. Even if you do not see the dust, it is there, and cleaning those surfaces will help you get rid of accumulation of pollen and other allergens.

OTC Medications

In case these lifestyle changes are not helping you, you can go for over-the-counter medications. These include:

1. Antihistamines: They block histamine, which is a chemical released in body during an allergic reaction. It also reduces symptoms like sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes.

2. Nasal Sprays: These could be your best friend if you are struggling with congestion. You can also use saline nasal sprays and neti pots.

3. Decongestants: These help by narrowing blood vessels in the nasal passages, and reduce swelling, which in return improves airflow.

Note that we do not recommend or prescribe any medicines. It is always advisable to go see your GP first.

Prescribed Medications

Your doctor is most likely to prescribe a desloratadine in case your symptoms are not controlled with OTC medications. You may also be prescribed azelastine that could work better on your inflammation and congestion.

If you have severe allergy symptoms, you may be put on corticosteroids for short-term oral use. It can reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Allergy Immunotherapy

This is called allergy immunotherapy, which is a long-term solution that can desensitize your immune system to specific allergens. This treatment is considered when other treatments are ineffective and when allergies significantly impact your daily life.

The two allergy immunotherapy involves, a shot called subcutaneous immunotherapy or SCIT, and sublingual immunotherapy or SPLI, which is an allergen tablets placed under the tongue.

Are you down with fever? Are your symptoms also a little less common from an ordinary cold? Are you also confused between flu and COVID? Then knowing this one symptom could help you set flu apart from COVID. Dr Rupa Parmar, a GP and medical director at Midland Health tells The Mirror, that shortness of breath could be a key symptom that could differentiate between the two.

Dr Parmar highlights that it is a key indicator for COVID. "Shortness of breath is rare in both a cold and the flu, but as COVID more so affects the lungs due to inflammation, it is a common symptom."

The NHS website supports her advice, noting that breathlessness is a symptom more often tied to Covid, not the flu or a common cold. This kind of breathing difficulty is usually associated with infections like Covid or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

What Else Could Help You Know If You Have A COVID or Flu?

The nature of your cough could also help you understand different ailments. Dr Parmar said that a cold would produce a mild cough, whereas a flu cough could be more dry. However, with covid, "a cough will be dry and continuous, and many people will cough for more than an hour or have three or more coughing episodes within a day."

If one has lost their sense of smell or taste, then the chances are, this could be COVID. However, this symptom is also present in cold or in a flu.

For people who have Covid, the NHS advises staying home and avoiding contact with others if they or their children have symptoms and either develop a high temperature or feel too unwell to work, attend school, manage childcare, or carry out daily activities. If you are unsure about the cause, it is important to speak with a doctor.

Dr Parmar emphasized: "after all, it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to health."

What Is Flu?

The flu is a common respiratory illness that happen from the influenza virus. The common flu symptoms are:

• Fever
• Sore Throat
• Runny Nose
• Fatigue
• Body Aches
• Cough
• Headaches

What Is COVID-19?

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. The common symptoms include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea
• Sore Throat
• Runny Nose
• Loss of smell or taste

COVID-19 could also have some long-lasting symptoms unlike flu or cold, that could seem unrelated to the original infection.

As per the Ohio State University, the most recent COVID variant is XFG or the Stratus variant. Another new variant that causes the 'razor blade' like sore throat is Nimbus.

The symptoms of this new variant includes:

• Congestion
• Cough
• Fever
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Muscle Aches

'Razor blade' Throat

NB.1.8.1 or the Nimbus variant is a subvariant of Omicron, which is a dominant COVID variant since late 2021. Omicron variants tend to cause more throat problems than the other variants seen earlier.

The COVID virus binds to ACE2 receptors. According to WebMD, the cells in your nose and throat contain more ACE2 receptors than those deeper in the lungs, which makes them easier targets for Omicron variants. Once the virus attaches to these receptors in the upper airway, your immune system begins to respond.

Ever since the Trump administration has come to power, sentiments against vaccines have gone up. Many vaccine critiques have been handpicked by the anti-vaxxer HHS Secretary RFK Jr. as health officials. So it is no surprise that now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is now recommending that mothers who test negative for hepatitis B should discuss the need for the vaccine with their doctors. If parents choose to delay the birth dose, the first shot should be given at no earlier than two months of age. This is dropping the longstanding hepatitis B vaccine guideline that stated that every newborn receive the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine shortly after birth. This recommendation, in place since 1991, was reversed on December 5 after a key CDC advisory committee voted to change the policy.

This committee was appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dismissed all 17 previous members earlier this year. The shift in policy has triggered wide debate, especially in the medical community, because it overturns one of the longest standing infant vaccination guidelines in the United States.

Below are some of the claims made by the panel, both sides, who debated the vaccine's need or unimportance for all infants.

Hidden Hepatitis B Infections Make Risk Hard to Judge

Claim: Several ACIP members questioned whether babies considered “low risk” truly need a hepatitis B shot at birth. But hepatitis B is not always easy to detect or trace.

The virus spreads through bodily fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal fluids. It is also extremely resilient and can survive on surfaces for up to a week. Even tiny amounts of dried blood from everyday items like razors, toothbrushes or nail clippers can carry the virus.

Hepatitis B often has no symptoms for years. The CDC estimates that 640,000 adults in the United States live with chronic hepatitis B, and half do not know they are infected. This means that even if a mother tests negative during pregnancy, her newborn can still be exposed through family members or other caretakers. Before universal birth-dose vaccination began, only half of infected children under age ten had contracted the virus from their mothers at birth.

Because so many people are unaware of their infections, determining true risk is complicated.

The Vaccine Protects the Most Vulnerable: Newborns

Claim: Some committee members suggested that vaccinating all newborns mainly protects adults or others at higher risk.

That claim is misleading. The primary purpose of giving the shot at birth is to protect infants, who face the most severe long-term consequences of infection.

Hepatitis B attacks the liver. If an infant becomes infected, there is a very high chance the disease will progress into a chronic lifelong condition. About a quarter of those children eventually die prematurely from liver failure or liver cancer. While treatments exist to reduce complications, there is no cure.

Dr. James Campbell, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland, reminded the committee that the vaccine strategy transformed public health outcomes. “We used to have 18,000 or 20,000 kids born with this every year, and a quarter of them would go on to develop liver cancer. We now have almost none,” he said.

Falling Infection Rates Show Vaccines Worked

Claim: Hepatitis B infections fell sharply after the birth-dose recommendation took effect. Before vaccination became routine, up to 300,000 Americans were infected annually. About 20,000 of those were children.

Today, total annual cases have dropped to around 14,000. Among people under 19, chronic infections have reached extremely low levels. In 2022, the CDC documented only 252 new cases in this age group.

ACIP member Dr. H. Cody Meissner, who voted against changing the policy, argued that declining numbers do not justify easing precautions. “It is a mistake to say that because we are not seeing much disease, we can change the schedule,” he said. “If we do, hepatitis B infections will come back.”

The United States Is Not an Outlier

Claim: Some committee members compared U.S. policy to countries such as Denmark, which does not vaccinate all newborns.

However, the United States is far from alone in recommending a universal birth-dose. According to CDC data from September 2025, 116 out of 194 World Health Organization member countries recommend hepatitis B vaccination at birth.

Denmark does not include hepatitis B in its standard childhood schedule, but it has a centralized national health system, higher prenatal screening rates and less fragmented medical records. The United States lacks these structural advantages, which makes relying solely on maternal testing more challenging.

A senior British cardiologist has shared a clear two-word tip that he says can make a real difference to your blood pressure. Dr Amir Khan recently explained this advice while outlining five simple habits that can naturally bring hypertension under control, particularly during the winter months when heart risks tend to rise.

India continues to struggle with a heavy hypertension burden. Roughly one in three adults is estimated to have high blood pressure, yet many remain unaware of their condition, and even fewer manage it well. Doctors often warn that this lack of awareness, combined with poor control and gaps in long-term care, leads to serious complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. Since hypertension usually comes without symptoms, it has long been known as a silent killer.

Dr Khan highlights that a few lifestyle tweaks can go a long way, and his biggest message is built around a simple two-word mantra: “get moving”. He explained on Instagram that regular physical activity keeps blood vessels flexible and supports healthy blood flow. His advice is to pick any form of movement you genuinely enjoy and make it part of your routine.

How movement actually helps

Exercise reduces blood pressure by strengthening the heart, improving circulation, and reducing the strain on arteries. A stronger heart pumps blood more efficiently, which lowers the force exerted on blood vessel walls. Physical activity also opens up small blood vessels, helps manage weight, and reduces inflammation and stress hormones. All of these support healthier vascular function and better overall pressure control.

Doctors recommend a mix of aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling, along with strength training to support long-term heart and metabolic health.

Other helpful changes, according to Dr Khan

While movement is his main message, Dr Khan also lists four additional habits that support healthier blood pressure levels.

Reduce salt intake

He explains that those with high blood pressure need to be especially mindful of hidden salt. Adults should ideally stay around six grams a day, which is about a teaspoon. Much of this is already present in packaged or restaurant foods. Using herbs, spices, and fresh ingredients can help bring the total down.

Add more potassium-rich foods

Dr Khan encourages increasing potassium intake because it helps the kidneys flush out excess sodium. Foods rich in potassium include bananas, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, and kiwi. Adding these regularly can make a noticeable difference.

Avoid smoking and alcohol

He stresses that avoiding cigarettes and limiting alcohol is key for heart health. Smoking damages blood vessels and raises blood pressure, while alcohol can worsen both pressure and weight control.

Maintain a healthy weight

Keeping weight in a healthy range reduces strain on the heart and helps blood vessels function more efficiently. It also improves circulation and reduces the substances that cause vessels to tighten.

Dr Khan’s message is simple. Small and consistent lifestyle choices can noticeably lower blood pressure, and starting early makes a significant difference.