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5 Tips to Keep Allergy Sufferers from Dreading Spring 5 tips to feel better immediately during spring allergy season (BPT) - From flowers poking through the ground to ditching heavy winter parkas, it's easy to look forward to spring. Unless, of course, you have allergies. Then, the path to warmer weather and additional daylight could be marked with watery eyes, sneezing and a runny nose. Makes it hard to be excited, right? It doesn't have to. While spring carries its own concerns for allergy sufferers everywhere, there is relief. Now is the perfect time to set plans in place to help ease your allergy symptoms before they begin. "People think they're doing everything they can to battle spring allergies," says allergist Bradley Chipps, MD, pres- ident of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Im- munology (ACAAI). "But many still find themselves under siege from pollen and other allergens that appear once the weather starts to warm up. What they don't realize is that by following a few simple rules they can make life a lot more pleasant, and their aller- gies more bearable." As you start your spring allergy planning, keep these five tips from ACAAI in mind. Use them and your spring will be filled with flowers and breezes, not coughing and sneezes. 1. It may not only be allergies. In some cases the symptoms you are experiencing may not be caused by allergies alone but by another complication such as asthma. Research shows two- thirds of people with asthma also suffer from allergies, making symptoms worse during the spring season. If your symp- toms include a persistent cough or feeling winded quickly, asthma could be the cause of your trouble. If this sounds familiar, consult your allergist. Your allergist can help identify the source of your asthma and help treat your allergies to manage your symptoms.