Revciew: Forecasting allergies with WebMD Allergy, Zyrtec AllergyCast

I'm a seasonal allergy sufferer who, after years of shots, can usually get through spring and fall with the help of over-the-counter medications. This spring, I downloaded two free allergy apps, WebMD Allergy and Zyrtec AllergyCast, to see if they would offer any benefit. Both send alerts, provide allergy and weather forecasts, let users track symptoms (this could help you determine whether it's really mold that bothers you, for example, not grass) and provide information about and tips for treating allergies.

WebMD tells users the level of several kinds of irritants: mold, dust, tree pollen, grass and ragweed. It also includes an allergy map: One day the entire metro region was shaded for moderate allergies except for Alexandria and Prince William County, which were severe (strangely, Manassas Park, within Prince William, remained moderate).

Zyrtec gives a general allergy forecast on a scale of 1 (low) to 12. It also will tell you the predominant pollens.

"Tree pollen is high," I said to my husband on one of the first days I was using the apps.

"I could have told you that," he responded. "My eyes are itchy."

The two apps seem to generally concur. One April day, the WebMD app told me tree pollen was high and mold and dust were low. The Zyrtec app said that the potential for allergies was 10 out of 12 and that the predominant pollens were maple, oak and ash. Online, AccuWeather told me tree pollen was high and gave me a count of "350." Whichever source you prefer might depend on which information you most value, though knowing exactly which trees are pollinating is useful if you only react to certain ones.

One week, I traveled to Atlanta (high tree pollen, much congestion and eye itchiness) and then to southwest Florida, where I felt pretty much the same. I checked the WebMD app, though, and it turned out I was reacting to dust. This didn't make much practical difference to me, as the same allergy pill seemed to work. But it could matter to someone who prefers different medications for different allergic reactions.

I also can see these apps coming in handy if you are traveling from a place where you don't have allergies to a place where you might. And because allergy sufferers are often advised to start taking medication before symptoms even begin, an app could be a good reminder: "Hey, tree pollen has gone from nonexistent to low! I'd better start taking my pills!"

Otherwise, you could probably just rely on someone's itchy eyes.