Combatting allergies with rising pollen counts

Allergies are costly, not only to our health, but to society as a whole.

According to information provided by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than six million office and school visits are lost each year, with 16 million visits made to the doctor from those suffering with allergies.

In just the last week, clinics like Providence Urgent Care have seen a continuous stream of patients flowing through their doors. For many, allergies are still an issue, but you can’t blame the flowers on your spring allergies this late in the year.

The blame can now be shifted to the warm stretch of weather that has settled into Mid-Missouri.

While pollen counts typically begin to fall off towards the end of April, we’re seeing an extended stretch of higher than-normal pollen counts.

Dwight Jones, a family nurse practitioner at Providence Urgent Care, says you if you want to choose a place to be affected by pollen, Missouri is probably one of the best places in the country.

That’s exactly what pollen counts are showing, as the latest outlook has high pollen counts sticking with us through the end of this week.

The reason why we’re seeing a lot of that as we continue to head through the end of May and into the first part of June is because of our weather.

Lately, sunny, windy and warm days have been contributors to high pollen counts and will continue through the next several days.

“We just have a lot of trees, a lot of greener and wetness,” Jones said. “So mold, mildew and pollen, it affects us.”

Jones says there are some things that you can do if you are going to be caught outside on days when the pollen count is high. He recommends the following:

– Limit your exposure outside during the times of 5 to 10 am, when pollen counts are the highest.

– When you do come in for the day, take a shower and prevent bringing the pollen with you to bed.

– In your vehicle, leave your vehicle’s air on circulate, so you don’t bring in pollen from the outside.

– Take non-drowsy antihistamines.

In the end, Jones says it’s part of nature and that we are going to be exposed if we go outside.

Allergies aren’t just a spring thing, they affect us throughout the year.

During the spring, it’s more trees and flowers that affect us.

By summer, the exposure shifts to grass, with weeds becoming a problem by the fall.

During the winter, mold spores begin to set up shop across Mid-Missouri.

Stay tuned to the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team as we continue to monitor changing conditions to the weather and when you can expect relief.