Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | March 2018

How satisfied are you? Clear your head of allergy symptoms Do you sneeze and sniffle whether or not you’re sick? That could mean you’re one of the 50 million Americans with allergies. Allergies can affect your eyes, nose, mouth, throat and skin. They are a sign that your immune system is overreacting to an allergen. Plant pollen is one of the most common allergens. Others include mold, dust mites and pet dander. Allergies might come and go with the seasons. Or they may be severe and yearlong. They can cause ear and sinus infections or asthma flare-ups. Your provider can help. You may find relief with over-the-counter remedies. Saline nasal sprays, for instance, can help moisten your nasal passages. Other options include decongestants and antihistamines. But talk with your health care provider first. Some of these medications have side effects, such as drowsiness, or should be used only for a limited time. And some shouldn’t be used at all by people with high blood pressure or heart disease. What can you do? You can take steps to feel better, such as: ■  ■ Ask someone else to mow the grass or rake up leaves. Yardwork can send pollen and mold into the air and up your nose. ■  ■ Keep an eye on pollen and mold levels. ■  ■ Stay indoors and keep windows closed when counts are high. Go to morehealth.org/allergies for daily pollen and mold counts. Sources: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; U.S. Food and Drug Administration The answer to this question is important to the Alliance. We want to serve you well. For this reason, the Alliance does an annual member satisfaction survey. This survey gives us the chance to hear what you think about the care and service you receive. Only a handful of Alliance members were asked to participate in the survey for 2016. Thank you to those of you who participated! This is a brief summary of what we heard. You said that you: ■  ■ Really like your health care providers ■  ■ Appreciate the Alliance and the service you receive from us We’re pleased to hear it! We will share this feedback with our providers. Although we love hearing where we succeed, we also like to hear where we can improve. You shared that it can be hard to get the care you need quickly and that communicating with your doctors can be difficult. We would like you to know that we are working hard to create the best health care experience for you. For example, have you heard about Ask Me 3 ? Ask Me 3 encourages communication with your health care providers so you understand how to stay well or get better. For more information about Ask Me 3 , visit npsf.org/askme3 . Keep an eye out for other new ways the Alliance is working to help get you the right care, at the right time, in the right place. living healthy 6 staying healthy