Sometimes it’s hard to know if nasal congestion and sneezing are from an allergy or a cold. Many people have seasonal allergies or pet allergies, so they’re familiar with these symptoms and they usually know what’s causing them. In other cases, when people haven’t had severe allergies in the past, we usually start to consider allergies as a cause of congestion when the symptoms have lasted for over a week and haven’t responded to other types of treatment. If that’s the case, I’d ask the patient about things they may be exposed to, like a new pet in the house, for example. Or think about what might be flowering in that particular season that they might be reacting to, and recommend that they take an antihistamine on a trial basis to see if that helps their symptoms. If they’re still not getting better, and the symptoms have been lasting longer than a week, I’d recommend they see a doctor. Mount Sinai has urgent care centers in Manhattan and Brooklyn that are open every day, 365 days a year with extended hours, and you don’t need an appointment. So, just walk in and we’ll be happy to see you.
Judah Fierstein, MD is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients in the Upper West Side, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and Inwood. Trained in New York City, he is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He was awarded his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also completed his residency in Emergency Medicine. He is the Medical Director of Mount Sinai Doctors Urgent Care. Dr. Fierstein is fluent in Spanish.