(Radio Iowa) – All the recent rain has helped keep pollen counts down in Iowa, but soon enough, the state’s allergy sufferers will be red-eyed, sneezing and sniffling. Dr. Ravi Johar, at UnitedHealthcare, says while the chilly winter weather may be gone, that pesky pollen will force some Iowans to remain indoors. “Unfortunately, when you get outside, it can be a miserable time for a lot of folks. They can get what are called seasonal allergies, allergic rhinitis, things of that sort,” Johar says. “In fact, about 50-million Americans suffer from allergies like that and that costs over $3 billion in medical costs per year.”

Johar says seasonal allergies are typically at their peak during April, May and June. For now, he recommends that people with allergies try using air purifiers indoors, and limit their time outdoors. “We’re really talking about things like all the outdoor triggers, things like tree, grass, and wheat pollen,” he says. “Those would start to increase as all those plants are growing, and when we have dry, windy days, that spreads the pollen everywhere and so you have much, much higher pollen counts.” A wide variety of allergy medications are available without a prescription. Everyone’s a bit different, so if one drug doesn’t work for you, another might.

“Things like pseudoephedrine, which can help provide temporary relief from nasal stuffiness, those are different nasal sprays also that can help,” Johar says. “There’s combination medications that combine both antihistamines and the decongestants. If those over-the-counter ones don’t work, it’s probably really time to start talking to your doctor to see if there’s any prescription medication that you may take.”

He recommends running your air conditioner in your home and car to keep the pollen out. Johar also says to avoid leaving your clothes out to dry on a clothesline as they can collect pollen.