Just head outside and it's easy to tell, allergy season is here. In our region, tree and grass pollen is at high concentrations in the air. Warmer weather means more trees are producing pollen, and right now it's misery for allergy sufferers.
"The beautiful flowers coming up and everything, so you know they have to come up, and open up, and they open up to me," said Gwendolyn Page.
It's a seasonal battle with Mother Nature. Experts say beautiful, breezy afternoons can cause the worst symptoms for people.
"My nose gets all stuffy and sometimes I get like a headache," Kobe Samuel, 16, said.
RELATED: Maryland's Tree Pollen in Extremely High
"Eyes watering, a lot of blowing, a lot of mucus in your nasals," said Crystal Boyd.
"You see my eyes running, they run all the time,” Page said. “You see them tear drops."
And they're not alone.
Allergist, Doctor Anthony Nguyen, says there are a few options to get some relief.
"I would recommend looking at the daily pollen count and to avoid being outside when the pollen count is high,” he said. “Especially during mid-day, that's probably when it's worst."
See also: Maryland's Allergy Outlook
It’s a good idea to keep the windows up at home and in your car.
"I try to stay in the house, I don't come out that much," said Page.
Try to treat your seasonal allergies early with nasal spray, eye drops, or an antihistamine.
"Makes you a little drowsy but it's good for me though, it does wonders for me," Boyd said.
"I wish I had like a nose plunger to like unclear it because it gets like all clogged up and stuffy to the point where it starts hurting," Samuel said.
Allergists can also run blood and skin tests to learn what allergic triggers you have that are making the congestion and discomfort brutal. And the sooner you start, the better you'll likely feel.
“Because once that bad season hits, it's gonna be hard to suppress and subdue things," Nguyen said.
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