Tips For Reducing Symptoms
Pollen Count
(3/26/99)
OK, so how many boxes of tissue have you used lately?
If your eyes itch, and you're sneezing a lot, you're not alone.
The allergy season has begun!
Keith McCord has more.
One of the culprits is Juniper. It's one of several trees that's spewing
pollen right now.
Luckily for me, I'm not allergic to it.
But, many people are!
Another shot for Richard Rowe.
He, like thousands of others, is suffering right now.
He describes his symptoms as, "Itchy eyes, itchy throat. Runny nose, sneezing."
It's that time of year again..trees are beginning to bud and release their
pollen.
Dr. Alan Bitner of the Intermountain Allergy Clinic says, "They'll start to
come out the first week of March, and then we'll see these spikes in pollen
count over the next couple of months."
On a scale where a reading of 50 is considered "very high", today's pollen
counts for Cedar trees is at 793!
Poplar and Cottonwoods are at 432.
And for the next few weeks, other trees will also begin sending pollen into
the air.
Bitner says, "Warm, dry days, especially, if there's a little bit of wind,
we'll see the pollen count skyrocket."
Richard Rowe has had allergies for years---and until he started getting
weekly shots-- he was miserable!
"It's terrible. Terrible. Debilitating almost. Because you just can't
function," he says.
Dr. Bitner adds, "I was talking to a patient earlier today who says she
basically doesn't go out in the spring."
So, what do you do, if you're hacking, sneezing and blowing?
Stay inside! As much as you can, and keep the windows closed.
"Someone who doesn't have allergies just doesn't know what it's like..just
imagine having the worst cold in their life, and having it go on weeks or
months," Dr. Bitner says.
By the way, pollen goes in "waves" during the course of the year.
Right now, trees are the big problem.
In the summer, grasses will start giving off pollen.
And, in the fall, the weeds will get you!
