Gesundheit! The trees and flowers are back in beautiful bloom, but the unwelcome season of sneezing and sniffling is also upon us. If you're among the 50-million-plus people in the United States suffering from seasonal allergies, you'll want to take action. "Allergies can give you headaches and affect your sleep, energy levels and ability to concentrate," says Shelly Harvey, MD, an allergist-immunologist in Dallas. Allergies also put you at a higher risk for conditions like sinusitis and ear infections. First, determine whether the sniffles you're suffering from stem from an allergic reaction. Then fight them head-on!

Test yourself: Does your sneeze say allergies or cold?

It's easy to mistake allergies for a cold -- the symptoms are often similar. If you're not sure what's behind your stuffy nose, take our quiz to find out which one you're experiencing.

1. How would you describe the onset of your symptoms?
A. They came on very suddenly.
B. They took a few days to develop fully.

2. Which of the following symptoms bothers you most?
A. Sneezing, drippy nose, watery eyes or itching in your nose, eyes, throat or roof of your mouth.
B. Congestion, sore throat, fever, or body aches and pains.

3. When you blow your nose, what does the discharge look like?
A. It's clear and runny.
B. It's yellow or green and thick.

4. Is there a pattern to when your symptoms emerge?
A. Yes, they tend to strike around the same time each year.
B. No, they're seemingly random.

5. How long have your symptoms lasted?
A. Two weeks or longer.
B. No more than a week.

6. Are you prone to eczema?
A. Yes.
B. No.

7. Is there a history of allergies in your family?
A. Yes.
B. No.

Mostly As: You might have allergies, so you should consult your doctor.

Mostly Bs: You could be suffering from a spring cold.

Consider testing for allergies

The only way to be positive your symptoms stem from allergies is to go to a doctor for testing, says Michael J. Welch, MD, codirector of the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center in San Diego. Once you know exactly which allergens you react to, you and your doctor can come up with a personalized treatment strategy, which might include medication, a series of allergy shots or simply avoiding any culprits that affect you. There are two main methods of testing for allergies:

Blood test: With this kind of test -- known as a radioallergosorbent test, or RAST -- a sample of your blood will be sent to a lab. The sample will be exposed to allergens, and if allergic antibodies in your blood attach to the allergen, it means you are allergic to that particular offender.

Skin-prick test: Your doctor will scratch your skin with small amounts of different possible allergens (mold, pollen and cat dander, to name a few). Next, she will look for any red, swollen spots where an allergen was applied, which would indicate an allergic reaction. This method is most commonly used in testing for allergies, because the results are immediate and it's less expensive than a RAST.

Know the safest times to go outside

Pollen is the most common springtime troublemaker for people suffering from allergies. To minimize symptoms, you need to be strategic about stepping out.

Check your watch. The concentration of pollen in the air is generally highest in the morning, so if you exercise outdoors or spend other time outside, do it later in the day -- between, say, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. -- during allergy season.

Check the weather. People tend to have fewer hay-fever symptoms on cloudy days than they do under hot, dry and windy conditions, when pollen is more likely to be blowing through the air. Under the latter circumstances, it's best to stay indoors as much as possible to prevent symptoms from flaring up. Sign up with the National Allergy Bureau for a daily e-mail that will let you know the concentration of pollen in your area ( www.aaaai.org).

Get the right treatment for you

Finding the best remedy can involve a bit of trial and error; one medicine may work better for one person than another, says Dr. Harvey. Check with your doctor before starting any medication.

Decongestants: You'll relieve swollen nasal tissues, loosening congestion, if you take a decongestant. You can take these -- in pill or liquid form -- if your head or nose feels stuffy. Decongestants such as Sudafed can be purchased over the counter (OTC). Those that contain pseudoephedrine (an ingredient used to produce metham?phetamine) are now kept behind drugstore counters. You don't need a prescrip?tion to buy these, but you do need to ask for them.

Antihistamines: An antihistamine helps prevent sneezing, itching and a runny nose by blocking histamines, chemicals released by the immune system during an allergic reaction. For the best results, take them at the first sign of symptoms. You can buy OTC antihistamines, such as Benadryl or Claritin. If these don't help, ask your doctor about prescription antihistamines, such as Allegra or Zyrtec, which contain different chemicals than the OTC pills and might work better to relieve your symptoms.

Saline nasal sprays: These can help you flush allergens and mucus from your nasal passages, lessening symptoms. Some brands, like Ocean, are available over the counter.

Decongestant nasal sprays: You can use these OTC sprays to relieve nasal swelling and congestion, but only for a few days at a time: Too-frequent use can cause "rebound," whereby the body becomes used to the drug and symptoms return.

Steroid nasal sprays: These prescription sprays, such as Flonase and Nasonex, relieve an itchy, runny nose and sneezing. They can relieve postnasal drip and nasal congestion better than antihistamines. They don't cause rebound.

Immunotherapy: Also known as allergy shots, this is best for symptoms caused by airborne allergens (think pollen and mold). The shots contain small amounts of the allergens that affect the patient, which will help decrease sensitivity to them. They are given at regular intervals over three to five years.

Allergy vaccine: It's not available yet, but a vaccine for ragweed allergies is expected sometime within the next few years. Rather than a few years' worth of shots, people suffering from ragweed allergies, which flare up in late summer and early fall, would require only six shots over a six-week period.