Seasonal allergies are more than just a passing nuisance: loss of both concentration and productivity at work are noted in many allergy studies as a reason to manage this condition and reduce symptoms.

Allergic rhinitis is the culprit; this is the medical term for your runny nose, itchy eyes and nasal congestion. The main trigger for this condition are pollinating plants - although you can also get allergic rhinitis from other substances that you breathe in with the air.

Conventional medicine says that the only real cure for specific allergies is antigen-specific immunotherapy. Most of us know this therapy as the dreaded allergy shot. The technical name for this therapy is subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). It’s a therapy better suited to the marathoner than sprinter: you have to think of your course of treatment continuing for weeks at a minimum, if not months or years, to provide you with full benefits.

The latest approach to immunotherapy is sublingual immunotherapy. This approach has many benefits, not the least of which is that the therapy is without painful injections.

If you are serious about immunotherapy and you have seasonal allergies, the time to consider this treatment is before allergy season. See your health professional now.