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Sneeze guard! Seasonal allergy tips from an expert

ByLee Goldberg and Alex Dierckman WABC logo

Thursday, May 5, 2022

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Spring is in full swing and that means it is allergy season. Itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, and a stuffy nose are all symptoms of allergies, but there are some practical things you can do to manage it all.

The first thing to do is avoid what you are allergic to by preventing it from getting into your indoor environment, according to Dr. William Reisacher, allergy expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

First, close your windows in the early morning when pollen counts are high, between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Second, change your clothes and jump in the shower to get the pollen off of your body after being outside.

"Don't throw the outdoor outfits on your bed. You want to keep that safe haven which is your bedroom," says Dr. Reisacher.

Lastly, when it comes to allergy season and the impacts of climate change, Dr. Reisacher says, "We are seeing an extension in the outdoor seasons so people are getting their symptoms a lot earlier than they used to and they're lasting a whole lot longer."

During the spring, watch for high counts of tree pollen. The main offender in the summer is grass pollen. Finally, weeds are troublesome for allergy sufferers in August until the first frost, which is increasingly later in the season, extending the misery.

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