I blogged earlier this week about my mother’s use of a Neti pot plus Claritin to manage her seasonal allergies. Turns out that the Claritin wasn’t necessary at all.

Somewhere in the midst of the worst of ragweed season, my mom got a cold. Some nasty bacteria took advantage of her irritated sinuses and got a really good hold on her. She started the Claritin thinking that her allergies were getting worse: she was wrong.

How do you tell the difference between a nose clogged by allergies and a nose clogged by a cold? The issue with colds and allergies is that the symptoms of both conditions can look very similar. Unless you are running a fever, it can be particularly very hard to tell in the early stages of a cold from an allergy attack.

Since allergies are the “situation normal” around here, I find it easiest to just start with a dose of antihistamine (if my son isn’t already taking it) if he starts to bark or wheeze or sneeze. That gives me crucial information right off the bat: if it’s his allergies, the antihistamine will help and his symptoms will improve. If it’s not his allergies, the antihistamine won’t change things and I’ll know it’s a cold.

This is a great tip for every family if you have members who are dealing with inhalant allergies. In fact, one of the easiest ways for doctors to diagnose allergies is to follow the patient’s pattern of visits. Patients that come in every year at the same time with a cold that won’t go away generally have an allergy! One of my cousins finally uncovered her allergy to spring flowers when she and her doctor discussed the fact that she was always in his office in the spring, and always with a sinus infection.

Once my mom started taking something for her cold, she was able to cut back on the Claritin. Her nightly ritual of the Neti pot plus her bedroom air purifier was more than enough.

Funny how the non-drug strategies are often the best ones.