Marie Cavaliere Gloates never used to look forward to spring. That's because, to the 57-year-old Milford resident, the season was always synonymous with watery eyes, nasal congestion, and subsequent sinus infections. Gloates has environmental allergies, meaning she has adverse reactions to pollen from trees and grasses.

"It was hard to function," Gloates said. "It was interfering with my quality of life. When your eyes are watering all the time, it's hard to focus."

Her symptoms are all too familiar for many people.

According to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, allergies affect anywhere from 40 to 50 million Americans.

Allergies occur when the body's immune system has an adverse reaction to a normally harmless substance (known as an allergen), such as dust, pollens, animals or certain types of foods.

Pollens are the male cells of flowering plants, and pollen count varies from year to year, depending on the weather and other environmental factors. For example, a mild winter causes trees to pollinate earlier and can result in an earlier start to the allergy season. Levine said this year is expected to be particularly severe.

"The reports we're getting [from the Southern states] is that this is going to be a banner of a season," said Levine, also senior attending surgeon at Bridgeport Hospital. "And, usually, that just marches its way up here."

Practice co-owner Dr. Lawrence Milgrim

agreed, and said the recent rainfall likely paved the way for a heavy pollen season. "Those rains really started the process of the trees and grass blooming," he said.

There are a number of treatments for allergies, including the sublingual drops that the Trumbull practice uses. The practice is one of only two in the state that offers the drops (the other is Associated Ear, Nose and Throat Specialty in West Hartford).

The methodology of using the drops to treat allergies hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but Levine said the materials used in the drops, known as antigens, are the same as those used in the injections, which have been FDA- approved. The drops represent an off- label use of the antigens, which Levine said is both legal and common.

Not all insurance companies cover the drops (though Gloates's does) and, without coverage, the medications cost $20 per dose.

Sneez-e Spring allergies will kick into high gear soon, as trees begin to bloom, releasing pollen

Marie Cavaliere Gloates never used to look forward to spring. That's because, to the 57-year-old Milford resident, the season was always synonymous with watery eyes, nasal congestion, and subsequent sinus infections. Gloates has environmental allergies, meaning she has adverse reactions to pollen from trees and Fortunately, Gloates has been able to control her reactions over the past three years with the help of her allergist, Dr. Steven Levine of ENT and Allergy Associates in Trumbull. From him, she receives drops, which she puts under her tongue multiple times a week. The drops contain the elements she's allergic to, and regular exposure to them slowly desensitizes her to the allergens.

Previously, she had to take allergy shots once a week, but this is easier and less painful, Gloates said. Best of all, she can finally enjoy spring and fall, without worrying so much about her symptoms That's good, she said, because ordinarily, around this time of year "I'd be a mess."

Different seasons are associated with different allergies, said Dr. Mark Aferzon, an allergist and ear, nose and throat specialist in Derby. "Typically, what we see are trees in spring, grass in summer and weeds in fall," he said.

He and other local doctors said they Levine and Milgrim have used the drops for more than three years and have treated more than 200 patients with them. Both said many of their patients prefer them to allergy shots, which were previously the gold standard for treatment.

The drops work on the same principle as the shots - building up the body's immunity to the allergens. Both the shots and the drops require a lengthy course of treatment - about three to five years. But Levine said the drops are preferable to shots in many ways.

For instance, once a patient learns to use the drops, he or she can administer the medication themselves, instead of coming in for time-consuming office visits.

Gloates now only has to visit Levine's office about every three months for check-ups.

Also, patients are less likely to have a reaction from the drops than from the shots. Gloates said she often got a rash from her shots, but has no reaction to the drops. At worst, Levine said, there's some nausea or tickling on the tongue, which can be combated by diluting the drops.

Milgrim said the treatment works best for certain types of people, particularly children, who find the drops less scary than the shots. Those with a severe reaction to the shots also tend to find the drops helpful, Levine said.

He said, though his is among a handful of practices that use the drops, he expects them to be the standard of allergy care within 10 to 15 years.

In the meantime, there are a variety of widely available methods of stopping the sniffling and sneezing brought about by spring allergies. Aferzon said there's a hierarchy for treating allergies, starting with avoiding possible irritants.

For instance, he said, those with dust allergies should change their sheets frequently, change vacuum cleaner filters and avoid anything that might collect allergens.

Those whose allergies are triggered by tree pollen should protect themselves by staying inside during the middle of the day, when pollen counts are highest, said Dr. Kevin McGrath, immediate past president of the Connecticut Allergy Society and active attending doctor at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport.

Outdoor exercise, such as bike riding, should be done either in the morning or late in the day, he said. McGrath also advises that, if the weather is hot, use an air conditioner instead of opening a window. The latter allows pollen to flow into your home, aggravating allergies. Lastly, don't hang your clothes outside to dry, he said. "That allows pollen and mold to attach themselves to your clothes," he said.

Aferzon said the next step after avoidance is taking over-thecounter medications, such as Claritin or Benadryl and, if that doesn't work, you may want to ask your doctor about prescription medicine, such as Zyrtec.

If other methods fail, Aferzon said the final resort is usually allergy shots. But he echoes the idea that this is a time-consuming process, starting with an allergy test to best determine what elements you are allergic to. "It's not a quick fix," he said.

Aferzon said he's somewhat familiar with the drops, but has never used them and knows of few doctors who have. Levine said so few doctors use the drops because his is a cautious business.

In his practice, he said, adopting the medicine was a slow and gradual process, because he and his colleagues wanted to make sure it was a safe and effective method of treatment.

"Everything in medicine takes time," he said.