FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): The weekend’s return of warmer weather has brought blooming flowers, fresh grass, and sunshine, which means itchy eyes, sneezing and wheezing for seasonal allergy sufferers.

To help us breathe a little easier, WOWO News asked Jamie Vroman, a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with Meijer, about some suggestions on how to fight allergy symptoms, before they even begin.

“Make sure you’re doing that spring cleaning, so try and take care of any allergens that have laid dormant around the house,” says Vroman. “We also want to make sure we’re not mistaking allergies for something far more serious like asthma or a viral or bacterial infection.”

She says the nice thing is, the products to treat allergies can usually be purchased over the counter, like Claritin, Benadryl and nasal sprays.

“A lot of your products for allergy season are over the counter, so usually you don’t have a lot of doctor office visits.” However she stressed it’s vital to make sure any initial allergies are diagnosed by a medical professional to better understand the cause before treating symptoms.

Along with antihistamines and decongestants, Vroman also recommends trying natural remedies such herbs and eucalyptus oil.