It seems like allergies are everywhere in the San Antonio area this week, and allergists say we are doing battle with a wide variety of allergens, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"It started first with juniper, which is the cedar family, that hit for about a month," said Sunny Kallmer, P.A.-C., an allergist with Texan Allergy in Stone Oak. "And then for the last three to four weeks, cedar is now in the air, which is the heaviest pollinating plant in the world."
She says combined with the flu, which has reached very high levels in Texas, San Antonio was listed last week as one of the metros which has been among the hardest hit in the country, it is making for a miserable holiday for many people.
Kallmer says it is not unusual for people to be affected by allergies one season, and not the next.
"You inherit the genetics to have allergies, and then every time your body is exposed to this pollen, or immune system can change and decide it is not friends," she said. "Your immune system can change at any time, where you can get allergies, and they can go away."
Absent a move to Antarctica, Kallmer says there are products out there that have been proven to reduce the misery of allergies."You an take over the counter anti-histamines on a daily basis, the sooner the better to get started, and then the steroid nasal sprays are very effective, and use them every day to protect yourself."
She said those Neti Pot Sinus relievers, which irrigate your sinuses, are successful for many people, as are those allergy drops.