Thanks to the recent warm weather they’ve been blooming pink and
white and pretty.
Thanks to the recent warm weather they’ve been blooming pink and white and pretty.
But the aesthetic qualities given off by flowering trees and shrubbery in San Benito County have created the worst allergy season in years, said Dr. Steven Prager, allergist at the Hollister Allergy Clinic.
For the past five years, the clinic has been conducting its own pollen counts, and this year, tree pollens are between two to 10 times higher than the normal average, Prager said.
“Our (patient) numbers have more than doubled in the past few weeks,” he said, “and they are quite miserable.”
With the warm weather rolling in early, accompanied by a slight breeze, pollen is being distributed in large amounts.
Last week, the Hollister Allergy Clinic recorded tree pollen levels at “very high,” grasses and molds at a “high” level and weeds at a “moderate” level.
Almost all individuals who are sensitive to pollens or molds will experience symptoms when pollen levels reach the very high level, most people will experience symptoms at a high level and many people will experience symptoms at a moderate level, according to the clinic.
These elevated levels are causing people who usually don’t suffer from allergies to show symptoms, Prager said.
Currently the county is concluding its mold season and feeling the full effects of tree season, which began in January and will run through May. Grass season, which will bring with it another slew of allergies, won’t begin until the end of the month and will run through July.
The geographic positioning of Hollister in the Central Valley also contributes to the allergy onslaught, said Keith Stevens, pharmacist at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.
“Hollister is bad because we live in this little valley, so everything coming over from the coast just sits in the valley,” he said.
Besides Fresno and Los Angeles, Stevens placed Hollister at the top of the list for areas of California which induce the most allergy symptoms.
The most common symptoms associated with allergies are itchy eyes, runny nose, nasal congestion and scratchy throat.
Prager recommends three basic ways to combat allergies.
First, stay away from whatever you are allergic to. Because many allergens are in the air and it’s impossible to stay completely away from them, keep your car and house windows closed to cut down on exposure.
Don’t line-dry bed sheets or clothes, and after being outside for a lengthy period of time change your clothes and wash your hair, he said.
Seeing an allergist or general practitioner for prescribed medications will take care of many symptoms, but over-the-counter drugs can also do the trick and are available at most drugstores.
Antihistamines such as Benadryl and Sudafed work but may cause drowsiness. Claritin is the most popular over-the-counter allergy medication that doesn’t sedate the user.
For extreme allergies, allergy shots may be administered about once a month that will cure a patient within three to five years, Prager said.
A treatment called immunotherapy consists of a sequence of shots that contain solutions of natural substances in very small quantities, such as grasses, trees, dust and mold.
“It’s only for people whose allergies are really bothering them,” Prager said.
