Thousands of people in the Bay Area are stocking up on tissues and over the counter remedies as they battle the nasty symptoms of seasonal allergies.
Kelly Winger of San Jose said she is experiencing the most severe allergy symptoms she’s ever had.
“This season it’s been totally worse, my allergy medicines are not working, I've been using my inhaler and still sneezing, coughing and watery eyes ... terrible,” said the San Jose resident.
Dr. Theodore Chu, who checks the Bay Area pollen count every week, said that right now, trees are producing the most pollen and people living in San Jose are likely to suffer more from allergy symptoms than those living on the Peninsula and in San Francisco.
And while he says the pollen levels right now are moderate, he does expect them to increase thanks to heavy winter rains and higher temperatures.
“Eventually it's going to get warmer and when it's warmer, it pushes the pollen out of the trees, and the rain gives plants more power to produce more pollen,” said Chu.
High winds will only make matters worse by sending more pollen into the air. The doctor also said Bay Area allergy sufferers may have more severe symptoms depending on where they live.
“It’s worse here in San Jose than it is up north in Palo Alto or the Peninsula, because the warmer weather pushes the pollen out of the trees more than if you have cooler weather,” said Chu.
He said that over the counter allergy medications, nasal sprays and eye drops can help. And if those don’t work, special allergy shots may help.
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Winger said she’s tired of suffering and is looking at all her options.
“I actually have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to talk about it,” he said.
Chu recommends that if you suffer from allergies, stay indoors on high pollen days and don’t mow the lawn.
