Dr. Zachary Rubin, an allergist immunologist in his mid-30s practicing in suburban Chicago, isn’t all that surprised by his newfound status as a minor celebrity on TikTok, where he has 720,000 followers and counting.
And no, it’s probably not just his trademark bowties and coiffed curls reeling in the viewers, but rather what he knows — medical professionals specialized in the sniffles are something of a rarity on the popular social media site.
“There are 330 million people in the United States and only 7,200 board certified allergists,” Rubin told The Post. “That is not a lot.”
Rubin’s instructional videos, ranging from tutorials on the correct use of nasal spray to the worst allergy medications that you should be avoiding, have racked up views in the millions.
In the past three months alone, Rubin has seen his follower count triple as the sniffle season gets underway.
“[Allergies] happen every time we transition to spring, but this time around people are saying, ‘This is the worst my allergies have ever been,’” said Rubin.
The main reason for that, he said, is climate change.
“Rising temperatures allow plants to pollinate for a longer period of time because we have temperatures above freezing,” he said, noting that allergies are getting worse each year. “We have a growing population with respiratory diseases.”
Dr. Rubin started posting on TikTok during the pandemic “to better connect with patients” at a time when no one was meeting in person.
His relatability has helped him grow his audience — Rubin is open about his own battles with allergies over the years, growing up in the Midwest.
“I used to have bad allergies until I got on allergy shots,” he said. “I used to wheeze around cats and dogs but now I do not anymore!”
Just in time for peak pollen, Dr. Rubin shared 10 of his top tips on how to combat seasonal allergies — and win.
Get tested, pronto
A lot of people think they have allergies if they have a runny, itchy nose or post nasal drip or a cough, but those symptoms can be triggered by all sorts of things.
“We have to recognize that COVID, the cold and allergies all look similar,” he said.
You need to get tested, in order to understand ways to reduce exposure to what you’re allergic to and which types of medicines will be beneficial.
An allergy test can either be a skin test or a blood test that measures an antibody called immunoglobulin.
Wear a mask outside — no, seriously
“Wearing a mask outside is very beneficial for people who have severe allergies, because you are filtering out those particles,” he said.
Surgical masks, KN95 and N95 masks all do the trick. It’s also a good idea to use an eye covering like sunglasses and goggles.
Don’t bring the enemy home with you
When you are coming home, always change your clothes and take off your shoes.
Pollen and mold, these things in the air stick to your clothes, and when you sit on your furniture you are depositing them all over the place.
“Allergens can be very sticky,” he said.
Keep your sinuses clean
Use saline rinse bottles to rinse out your sinuses once a day before bed.
“Get rid of irritants in your nose, so you don’t have inflammation when you go to sleep,” he said.
You can buy them at any pharmacy or a retailer like Target.
Don’t wait to medicate
There are various medications — from nasal sprays to antihistamines — that can effectively treat allergies, but you need to plan ahead.
They take some time to work, so you need to start them two to four weeks before allergy season.
“Allergy season varies based on where you live and what your allergies are,” he said. “For most people, spring allergies due to tree pollen start in February and last until the early summer. For fall allergies due to ragweed pollen, mainly on the East Coast and [in the] Midwest, this season starts in August and goes until the first frost — usually in November.”
On bad days, just stay inside
While Rubin recommends that severe sufferers seek treatment to avoid being cooped up in the house, if seeing a doctor isn’t an option, not going outside and keeping your windows closed and your air conditioning on is sometimes the best way to handle a particularly brutal pollen or ragweed day.
Skip the Benadryl
For many, Benadryl, also known as diphenhydramine, is the go-to drug. Not so fast, Rubin warns.
“[It] can readily get into your brain and cause significant sedation that can easily last into the next day and disrupt your sleep cycle, worsening your sleep quality,” he said.
Other unpleasant side-effects can include dry mouth, blurry vision, urinary retention and constipation, according to the doctor.
Stick to newer drugs like Claritin, Allegra and Xyzal, he said,
“[These] have been modified to be less likely to get into your brain and cause sedation,” he said. “They are much more safe to use.”
Don’t waste your money on local honey
“There is a lot of bad information on the internet about what you should do for cough and cold,” he said. “The classic one is, ‘does local honey treat allergies?'”
“It’s a myth,” Rubin warned. “It’s this idea that if you consume local honey, you get a little pollen and it can help your allergies.”
Not really, he said.
“The pollen you are getting is so small and inconsistent — most of the time it isn’t the type of pollen people are allergic to.”
Sleep is a powerful drug
“People with severe allergies don’t sleep as well, and lack of sleep is tied to many health issues,” he said.
Rinse out your sinuses before bed to help you sleep and talk to your doctor about the best meds to take, he said.
Be kind to the person next to you — they might be suffering
“When people have significant allergy symptoms they can get severe sinus pain and pressure that feels like migraines,” he said.
“It impacts people’s quality of life, their ability to sleep, their mood, whether they can go to work. Hopefully people can see that and empathize.”
