• Fall allergies typically begin in August and can last through October.

• To diagnose allergies, doctors may recommend either a blood test or a skin test.

• Some treatments options include over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays and immunotherapy.

Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers offers a variety of testing and treatment options for allergy sufferers in Pensacola and the Florida Gulf Coast Panhandle area.

Among testing methods is the skin prick test, which is the quickest way to identify a person’s reaction to allergens.

“Now we're able to test 30 to 40 allergens all at once,” Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told Florida Business Daily. “We really look at all the different ones to see what you react to. Depending on how many allergies you actually have is how many pokes you're really going to get. And we can also test for food allergies that way.”

People who suffer from seasonal allergies typically start to feel the effects of fall allergy triggers in August, as ragweed begins to release pollen, according to WebMD. These symptoms can last through September and October as well. The wind can carry ragweed pollen for hundreds of miles, so people who don't live where ragweed grows can still be affected.

Another common fall allergy trigger is mold, which can grow in piles of damp leaves. Seasonal allergy sufferers could also be affected by dust mites, which can stir as people begin to turn on the heat in their homes in the fall. Dust mites are also common in schools, and they can affect students returning to their classrooms. Common allergy symptoms include a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes and noses.

To diagnose allergies, doctors will review the patient's symptoms and medical history, and they may recommend either a blood test or a skin test, according to WebMD. For a skin test, the doctor will place a small amount of the allergen on the patient's skin, typically on the forearm or back. If the patient is allergic to that particular allergen, a small, itchy bump will appear.

Depending on the type and severity of a patient's allergies, various treatment options could be recommended, including over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays, allergy shots, immunotherapy and carrying an emergency epinephrine shot, such as an EpiPen, for severe allergies.

If you’re interested in learning more about treating allergies, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.