It’s allergy season: Is there anything we can do to tackle our worst symptoms?

Dr. Aaron Robinson of CHI Health says if you find a treatment that works, it's important to be consistent with it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Allergies can be an annual nuisance for some people.

“When you’re in a place like Nebraska, or the plains, there’s just a lot of allergens in the air all the time, so partially you do have to live with it,” CHI Health’s Dr. Aaron Robinson said.

Between empty tissue boxes or periodic sneezing episodes, we deal with them every year, so why don’t our bodies develop immunity to them?

“We develop a way to protect ourselves against it, but because it’s not a disease that has a certain course, it’s just a constant irritation, we don’t develop an immunity that stops it from happening again,” Robinson said.

Robinson, who is an ear, nose, and throat doctor, explains that allergens enter your body and cause blood vessels to open up, releasing proteins and enzymes that cause inflammation. This results in symptoms like sneezing and sore throat.

Allergy treatments range from allergy pills and nasal sprays as conservative treatments, all the way to allergy testing and therapy for more intensive care.

Robinson says that if you find something that works for you, it’s important to stick with it.

“Honestly, consistency is the key,” Robinson said. “If you’re going to start a treatment, like an allergy pill, or an allergy nasal spray, consistency is the most important thing. If you use it for a day or two, and then quit, or use it only as needed, the effectiveness of that is going to be very low.”

So how do over-the-counter allergy pills help fight allergies?

“By taking the pill, you’re shutting down the body’s ability to fight that foreign substance, even though it’s a normally occurring thing, and it reduces inflammation in the body,” Robinson said.