Spring weather causing allergy misery for many

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Whether you're inside or outside, one thing this warmer weather is not good for is allergies.

So many people are complaining this week about how bad they feel.

Mother Nature was holding back more than warm weather this winter. She's been bottling up the ingredients for a potpourri of misery with sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, and scratchy throats. Eyewitness News examined what's behind the potent pollen being unleashed this allergy season.

Kristina Gerraughty is suffering more than ever before.

"When I was a kid nothing, in my 30's I sneeze, I have teary eyes, itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy throat, just irritable," Gerraughty said.

Dr. Cliff Bassett says this will be the toughest season in years because of last winter.

"We are seeing effects of Mother Nature, a lot of precipitation during fall and winter tells the trees and their root system to flourish and have more pollen which is supercharged," said Dr. Bassett, of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York.

The spring bloom is not just potent, and it's offering a one-two punch!

"We are seeing the effect of tree and grass pollen coming together because of the delayed onset of spring in our area, the double whammy," Dr. Bassett said.

Dr. Bassett offers an allergy action plan to fight back. He also explains how food allergy testing reveals to patients they are actually triggering their reactions by eating certain foods!

"The body mistakenly thinks when you are eating these fresh fruits that are really healthy for you and vegetables, that you are actually eating pollen. Because there's a cross protein on the surface of fruits and vegetables with proteins that's in pollens such as grass and ragweed pollen," Dr. Bassett said.

Learning more about pollen can help you suffer less, for example pollen counts are lowest in the morning and increase throughout the afternoon.

"Wear a hat; avoid hair gel, oh a high pollen day it can become a pollen magnet," Dr. Basset said.

It's not just a seasonal thing though, in New York there's a tsunami of pollen due to increasing CO2 levels.

"We are seeing greenhouses gas telling plants to produce more pollen, grow bigger, and produce pollen that is super charged more powerful," Dr. Bassett said.

Finding relief is best done by following the forecast for when pollen lets up.

"I can't wait for rain because rain will wash pollen away," Gerraughty said.

For more information and tips please visit: http://www.allergyreliefnyc.com