As our mornings and evenings get cooler and summer winds down, many of us are trying to fight off seasonal allergies and cold symptoms.

How do you know the difference and when do you need to stop the self-treatment and be evaluated?

Here are some general guidelines:

Congestion, cough, and headache are common with both allergy and cold. Itching is unique to allergies, but even if you are not itching, your symptoms could be allergic in nature.

Non-prescription “cold and sinus” preparations should be used no longer than 3 days consecutively. Other conditions, such as acid reflux, asthma or sleep apnea, can influence or be influenced by allergy or cold symptoms. If your symptoms are getting progressively worse rather than better, you should be evaluated by your PCP.

The bottom line is that seasonal cold and allergy symptoms can really affect your quality of life and make you miserable. If this happens to you, go get evaluated so that you can enjoy this beautiful weather!