Spring and seasonal allergies go hand in hand, but this year Arizona residents can blame the warm, dry and gusty weather for a worse-than-normal sneezing and coughing season.

Dr. Joseph Summers of Fountain Hills Family Practice estimates the number of patients complaining about allergy symptoms has increased 15 to 20 percent since the middle of January.

“It’s definitely been worse than the typical season,” said Summers.

Some 45 million Americans live with nasal allergies and 25 million suffer from asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Allergy symptoms include running nose, watery or itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing.

The most common triggers are trees, grass and weed pollen, mold spores, dust mites, cat and dog dander.

Desert flowering plants and trees, such as palo verde and mesquites, sprouting grass on golf courses and backyard flower pots can be heavy pollinators.

No “cure” is available for allergies. They can be managed with proper prevention and treatment, over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays and naturopathic remedies.

Fountain Hills Family Practice offers allergy skin testing, as do other local practices, so patients know what triggers their symptoms.

Individuals who shy away from medication or allergy shots might consider allergy drops.

Fountain Hills Family Practice redesigned its allergy program in the last six months to double the strength of the drops to provide more relief, said Summers.

“The idea behind using something like this is basically to try to minimize someone’s allergy symptoms or hopefully more or less cure their allergy symptoms so they don’t need the nasal spray, antihistamines, steroids and those sort of things,” said Summers.

Ingesting daily drops under the tongue is more convenient because the pain of a weekly shot and inconvenience to visit a doctor’s office are eliminated.

“Medicines may help temporarily, but your symptoms will keep returning without a long-term solution. That’s where allergy drops come in. They can actually re-train your immune system to stop overacting to allergens in the environment once and for all,” said Jason Henslin, program director.

“And best of all, they’re all-natural and safe -- even for young children.”

Most patients respond well to self-administering the daily drops under the tongue. The treatment is more convenient and painless to receiving a shot at a doctor’s office.

Naturopathic advice

Naturopathic physician Dr. Carol Jamison of East Valley Naturopaths noticed an uptick in allergy complaints “as soon as we got a fluctuation in the temperature.”

Dehydration can worsen allergies, Jamison said.

“The remedy is simple. Drink plenty of water. Also a nice lukewarm bath can help rehydrate,” she added.

She recommends adding a quarter of a cup of all-natural fruit juice to water to ingest electrolytes.

In extreme cases where individuals have asthmatic conditions, bronchitis or have a tendency to develop pneumonia, Jamison advises a homeopathic allergy shot. The combination of homeopathics with B vitamin acts as an antihistamine, she said.

Her other advice includes:

*Drink one to two glasses of water first thing in the morning to get on the right foot.

* Do not gulp down large amounts of ice cold water. Drink water at room temperature.

*Limit dehydrating beverages like caffeinated teas, coffee and soda.

Survival tips

Here are a few simple steps to keep your hay fever symptoms at bay, according to Mayo Clinic staff:

* Reduce exposure to allergy triggers by staying indoors on dry, windy days. Delegate lawn moving or weed pulling gardening chores.

*If high pollen counts are forecasted, start taking allergy medications before your symptoms start.

*Close doors and windows at night or any other time when pollen counts are high.

*Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning when pollen counts are highest.

*Keep indoor air clean; use the air conditioning in your house and car. Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.