Spring is finally here! And you know that means you get to see pollen on your car, bike, shoes, and pretty much everywhere you go.
The spring season is known to bring along pollen which can trigger seasonal allergies that everyone dreads but struggles to stop once they begin.
Dr Elizabeth Jenkins from health care company Patient First has seen a surge in people coming to her with allergies over the last month, 12 On Your Side reported.
She suggests taking action “the minute you start seeing those little buds on your trees, or the yellow stuff on your car, whatever tends to set you off”.
She said: “I usually recommend starting ahead of time before you even get the symptoms. Antihistamines have very few side effects, they’re generally pretty safe, they’re pretty cheap.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a quarter of US adults and children have at least one allergy.
“When you go down the street and you see clouds and pollen flying off trees, you’re at peak pollen. You can see it on your cars and surfaces,” 12 On Your Side First Alert Meteorologist Andrew Freiden said.
He says that this time allergies can be more intense because of global warming.
“As we continue to warm the globe, we are seeing winters in particular being shorter and milder and that brings a beginning to the pollen season a little bit earlier.
“And some studies have shown now you have trees that are producing pollen doing a better job. They’re more efficient at it, and it can last longer,” Freiden said.
So what should you do this time to avoid serious allergies?
Other than taking over-the-counter medicine to help with your allergies, both experts said there are some ways to be prepared for these allergies.
“Avoiding pollen, so trying not to do your exercising outdoors, wearing a mask if you are outdoors, doing yard work things like that,” Dr Jenkins said.
“Washing pollen off if you’ve been out cutting the grass. You can also do saline rinses to wash your sinuses out.”
