RICHMOND, Va. — There are barely two weeks left until the official start of the spring season.
Despite trees still being mostly bare from a brutal winter, make no mistake: a brutal allergy season may also lie in wait.
That’s according to Dr. William T. Hark of Richmond Allergy and Asthma Specialists.
“Usually, what happens is we get warm days in February, so a little bit early, and then it gets cold again,” Hark said. “But this year, it’s been all bottled up and it’s slightly delayed, and now allergy season is hitting with a vengeance.”
Hark said his clinic has been inundated with patients being punished by pollen in the past several days — but not from the plants you might expect.
“You just don’t see it, because the flowers are very small. Maple, which is one of the main allergens right now, has tiny red flowers, so you have to look very closely, but it’s out there. You just don’t see it,” Hark said.
Dr. Hark gave CBS 6 an up-close look so you don’t miss it.
CBS 6 viewers have been sounding off on our Facebook page about their spring allergy symptoms coming out.
“We’re seeing folks with runny nose, stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes, headaches, some of it’s fatigue,” Hark said. “We’re just feeling bad all over and it’s affecting people’s quality of life.”
Despite the slight delay in this allergy season, you don’t have to wait for relief, according to Dr. Hark.
“First of all, you wanna keep your windows closed and air conditioning on,” he said. “If you’re outside a whole lot, take a bath or a shower before you go to bed to wash all that stuff off, especially wash your hair.”
And if the non-medical options aren’t working?
“There are some nice over-the-counter things that you can do, like take Allegra or Zyrtec, and nasal sprays work well,” Hark said. “The key though with nasal spray is, like Flonase, you want to start before allergy season. If you wait until things are out of control, you’re a little bit too late. You’re like a dog chasing his tail, you can’t catch up with it.”
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