Hello spring. All of those beautiful, fragrant flowers and deep green grasses that allergy-free people love to coo over and pick and prune literally make you sick. Springtime is when trees and plants spread their seeds by the wind and by insect. Pollen can travel long distances and are usually the main cause of seasonal allergies. The pollen levels in the air can vary from day to day and different in various areas so don’t let  pollen wreak havoc on your body. Here are some ways to avoid pollen exposure:

• Keep windows closed to prevent pollen from drifting into your home.
• Minimize early morning activity when pollen is usually emitted between 5 to 10 a.m.
• Keep your car windows closed when traveling.
• Stay indoors when the pollen count is reported to be high, and on windy days when pollen may be present in higher amounts in the air.
• Take a vacation during the height of pollen season to pollen-free areas, such as the beach or sea.
• Avoid mowing the lawn and freshly cut grass.
• Machine dry clothing and bedding as pollen may collect in laundry if it is hung outside to dry.

There are natural remedies to treat seasonal allergy but always do your research. I’ve come across a few sources that lead me to believe that remedies like using local honey or bee pollen for allergy therapy can generate severe reactions! Check out Consumer Health Digest to read more about the strong caution on local honey allergy therapy.

You can also read more on how others are coping with seasonal allergies at About: Allergies.

iPhone has a passcode lock feature that comes in handy when you want to keep others from using your phone. This is a really useful feature! I’ve had an iPhone for over 3 years and can’t believe I waited until now to use it!

We were having dim sum this afternoon and found a lonely iPhone that someone must have dropped behind our table. We turned it on to see if we could contact someone to return it to its owner but it had a passcode lock. Luckily, we found the owner and gave her back her phone. I could only imagine what would happen if they didn’t have a passcode lock and someone else found it and kept it for themselves!

To enable the passcode lock feature:

1. Go to Settings → General → Passcode Lock
2. Enter a 4 digit sequence to continue
3. Re-enter your passcode to confirm

Once it’s set, you will see the general passcode lock settings. You can always go back to reset your passcode or turn it off if you feel a passcode lock is no longer necessary.