Seasonal allergies are already here! In my own practice, as we try and leave mother winter I have already started to see patients who have sniffles, puffy eyelids and itchy eyes. No it’s not a winter cold, its early seasonal pollen allergies to trees!
The heavy precipitation in many areas of the US has brought in saturated and well watered roots systems of trees and other allergy producing plants. This year we have had a mish-mash of an assortment of climatic conditions that affect plants and their pollens. Soon, warmer temperatures will provide a “perfect storm” for blooming pollen-producing plants that are responsible for most of airborne allergy triggers.
But what exactly do these pollen counts mean? It generally means most individuals with seasonal pollen allergies will experience a variety of typical allergy symptoms, more so as the pollen levels are higher and higher. That means those sufferers will react to varying amounts of pollens, and the most sensitive will react to even small amount of pollens. Remember pollens can travel up to several hundred miles at a time and wind up on your block and then the final trip to your nose.
Pollen levels are typically higher on warm, sunny, dry and windy days and lower on cooler, moist, wet and “windless” days. Take home message is most sufferers will feel wonderful after rain that washes away pesky pollens.
How do you stay ahead of heavy pollen days?
