Hollister
– As a landscape painter, San Juan Bautista artist Gayle
Sleznick has a real appreciation for natural beauty. But when she
saw color returning to the hills, Sleznick thought,
”
Here we go again.
”
Hollister – As a landscape painter, San Juan Bautista artist Gayle Sleznick has a real appreciation for natural beauty. But when she saw color returning to the hills, Sleznick thought, “Here we go again.”
That’s because in San Benito County, springtime is allergy time.
Dr. Jeffrey Lehr, an allergist-immunologist in Salinas, said the county’s inland location and its agricultural character combine to make San Benito a prime location for pollen to settle and torment the locals.
Frankie Vallent-Arballo, a spokeswoman for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, said the Hazel Hawkins clinic is starting to see its seasonal influx of patients suffering from the standard reaction to tree and grass pollen, including sore throats, itchy eyes and clogged sinuses.
Sleznick has struggled with allergies to grass and other plants all of her life, but she said this region is a particularly potent spot for allergies.
“If you never had allergies before, you will here,” she said.
The Salinas Allergy Clinic, which also operates a part-time clinic in Hollister, issues a weekly pollen report. The most recent count states that tree pollen is very high and grass pollen is high, meaning that most people sensitive to those pollens will experience symptoms.
According to the clinic’s count, tree pollen has been particularly bountiful this year, coming in at nearly triple the average in mid-March.
Lehr warned that Salinas numbers may not be a completely accurate reflection of San Benito’s. But judging from the San Benito residents he has treated, Lehr agreed that local tree pollen levels are unusually high this year, with oak, juniper and olive trees being the primary culprits.
Mark Wright, the general manager at Filice Farms, said he’s acutely aware that allergy season has started.
“It’s miserable,” Wright said. “And if the wind blows, it gets a little bit worse.”
Wright received a cortisone shot earlier this year, but said his ears, eyes and throat still itch when he’s out in the field.
Lehr said there are plenty of options people can try before resorting to cortisone.
“That’s the cannon,” he said. “But it’s like anything – you don’t want to overshoot.”
Since allergies cannot be cured, Lehr said it’s normal for people to try out alternative treatments. There are also several over-the-counter drugs available, although he warned that people need to keep an eye out for side effects like high blood pressure and addiction.
Lehr said he’s also fond of a preventative medicine called Nasalcrom, which people use before going hiking or traveling to other risky areas.
But the best solution may not involve any medicine at all, Lehr said.
“When you have a nice, windy day, put some air conditioning on and head to the coast,” he said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
