Achoo!

Anybody suffering from allergies knows 2015 is the worst year for symptoms since maybe 2006.Sneezing, headache, runny nose, postnasal drip, inflamed sinuses and itchy eyes.Experts said all along the prolonged winter would come back to haunt us with high allergy levels in spring and summer. That's for sure.The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says allergies can affect just about everyone."There really is no place safe from allergies, and you need to manage your allergies no matter where you live," says Matthew Clarke, MD, an AAFA board-certified family physician.It's particularly bad in our region. The mountains of Pennsylvania are damp. Dampness leads to mold. Mold can lead to allergies.Years ago when I lived in Kingston, I went through a series of allergy tests by Dr. Stanley Ushinski.He stuck tiny needles in my skin. Each needle contained suspected allergens. He said he'd never seen such a strong reaction to all forms of mold.The doc gave me an inhaler and said I was charismatic. OK, maybe he actually said asthmatic. I was so sick I can't quite remember.Turns out, I'm also allergic to chocolate. I told him I'd never give it up.In fact, while visiting Los Angeles on business in the 1970s, I made a special trip to San Francisco just to sample a piece of Ghirardelli. Back then, it was impossible to buy Ghirardelli on the East Coast."I don't care if I have to inject myself with two needles a day, I'll never give up chocolate," I told the doc.So I still eat it. And I eat blue cheese too, even though I know it's made with mold.No wonder my eyes have been itching.It's almost a repeat of '06, but that year was worse. Back then, I developed a contagious condition called pinkeye, or conjunctivitis.My eyes were beyond pink. I looked like something out of "The Exorcist." That's not a good thing, especially on 6-6-06, but that's the way it happened.I walked around wearing shades and pretending to be one of the Blues Brothers.That summer, I also took over-the-counter allergy pills.The tiny antihistamines I bought helped to curb sniffles but also promoted drowsiness.You can buy all kinds of allergy pills. But depending on ingredients, the pharmacy will suspect you're cooking meth.That's what the store clerk told me."Are you serious," I said."I don't have a clue how to brew meth, nor do I want to learn. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how to make a good cup of hot chocolate."In any case, you needed to submit a driver's license to buy certain allergy products, which means your name was probably placed on some kind of NSA list.It's probably still necessary to do that. Meth heads are putting allergy and cold sufferers under a cloud of suspicion.But that's the price for having an allergy attack and wanting relief.This year, I'm doing something new.I've downloaded an iPhone app called AllergyCast by Zyrtec.It tells me daily which allergens are likely causing my problems.It doesn't make me feel better but at least it lets me know why I feel lousy.Actually, I'm beginning to think I'm allergic to allergy pills.And that's nothing to sneeze at.So maybe the best way to have a great summer is to stay indoors.There's really nothing out there anyway except gypsy moth caterpillars, and they're probably sneezing, too.