NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — If you’ve been cleaning your throat, sniffling or sneezing more often than usual, that’s because the pollen is back in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky!
As of publication, tree pollen is the main culprit for allergies, and it’s in the high range. Dr. Paul Carter with the Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Center told News 2 they are beginning to see an increase in patients with some allergy symptoms.
“Most of the time, what we do for patients who have are having acute symptoms is to make sure they are taking their anti-histamines and that they’re taking a nasal spray [or] steroid spray…or that they are using a nasal spray anti-histamine,” Carter added. “Those seem to be the most effective for the acute symptoms. And then, patients who have ongoing allergy [symptoms] — we start them on allergy shots or sublingual immunotherapy.”
Besides suffering from allergy symptoms, you also may have noticed a film of pollen on your car. Numerous trees have started budding across Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky and many are already flowering. Even those trees that don’t produce flowers — like elm, pine and cedar — are still generating pollen that is in the high range.
Carter also has some non-medical advice for ways to mitigate your symptoms.
“A good thing to do this time of the year is to keep the windows shut,” Carter said. “Even though you would like to really open the windows to let the fresh spring air in, you are also letting in the pollen and the mold spores which might make your symptoms worse.”
Late summer pollen counts will feature ragweed, which many people are sensitive to. The pollen will linger until the first frost this fall.
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