Allergies make hot days into hot messes. Streaming eyes and running noses are unattractive and annoying, but there are ways to sidestep embarrassing symptoms.

And there’s no better place to look for advice on preventing the sniffles than Nick Jr.

Dora the Explorer doesn’t just explore anymore. Apply her problem-solving strategies to allergy management and you’ll laugh all the way through the pollen-drenched Quad.

Before I reveal ‘The Dora Method,’ what exactly are allergies? Claritin’s website defines them as ‘a sensitivity of your immune system to something that is ordinarily harmless.’ The medical term for allergy symptoms is allergic rhinitis.

Here’s the simple four-step guide to deal with allergies the Dora way.

Step 1: Identify whether you have a chronic allergy

Method: Pet Boots the Monkey

Boots is a cute monkey sidekick, but more significantly, he is one furry primate. Claritin’s website warns pet fur is a huge cause of perennial, or chronic, rhinitis. Chronic rhinitis causes year-round discomfort and can also be caused by dust spores, mold and cockroaches. Symptoms include sneezing, clear nasal discharge, congestion and an itchy throat. If rubbing up to animals like Boots makes you itch, skip to Step 4.

Step 2: Identify whether you have a seasonal allergy

Method: Hang out with Isa the Iguana

If you aren’t familiar with Dora and her pals, Isa the Iguana loves to chill in the garden. But gardens are grassy hell for those suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis, or what Pollen.com calls ‘hay fever.’If you only suffer from allergies in the spring, your immune system is reacting to the seasonal specific pollination system of trees, plants or weeds, according to Claritin’s website.

Ragweed is present in grassy areas on campus and fields that run alongside highways. It can cause nasty allergies, something sophomore biology major Stephen Krachie knows about.

‘Usually, my allergies are the worst in the winter,’ he said. ‘The South Campus apartments with the ragweed, grass, the heating and the mold, it’s ridiculous.’

Ragweed is particularly vicious in the late summer and fall, while tree pollen is worse through spring and summer, Nasonex’s website warns.

Step 3: Check out pollen levels

Method: Borrow Dora’s map

If you can’t get hold of Dora’s map, Claritin, Nasonex and many news sites have five-day regional pollen forecasts available. The pollen count is measured ingrains of pollen per cubic meter over a 24-hour period, according to Pollen.com. The higher the pollen count, the worse the symptoms are. Pollen levels peak in the morning and are low after rainfall.

Step 4: Fight back

Method: Fill Dora’s bottomless backpack with allergy fighting goodies.

Dora is never without her backpack, so she’s always armed with these pollen-fighting tricks.

1) Avoidance: My brother Andrew tried and failed to avoid grass pollen while playing a 36-hole round of golf. Avoiding grass is difficult, and you may become a hermit in the process. Avoiding animals is easier. Krachie is allergic to cats, so he doesn’t have one. Simple.

2) Medication: Tablets, liquid capsules and nasal sprays are readily available. Claritin’s site has an allergy quiz that recommends medications specifically related to your symptoms and allergy type. WebMD warns that medications may cause drowsiness, so check the label.

3) Shampoo: Cleanliness is a must, as hair makes the perfect home for pesky pollen spores. The Claritin site recommends washing your hair, body and clothes daily, as well as covering ventilation systems to stop spores creeping into your house.

Equipped with the wisdom of a 6-year-old Nickelodeoncharacter, you now have the power to fight against allergies. Go play in the woods, but watch out for Swiper the Fox. He might make you itch, and he’s after your backpack.

Iona Holloway is a magazine journalism and psychology dual major. Her column appears every Wednesday. She thinks Dora’s haircut is a sensible pollen fighting precaution. She can be reached at [email protected].  

Published on April 11, 2012 at 12:00 pm