MICHIGAN — Allergy season is back with a vengeance. A new report by Climate Centralshows this allergy season will not only last longer but will come with stronger symptoms.
It's tough news for the approximately 25 percent of Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies. But it's a new reality due to a number of factors:
- Plants are leafing and blooming earlier
- There's an overall warmer climate
- There are longer periods of free-free days in the soil.
All of this amounts to the fact that plants have more time to flower in the year and have more time to release allergy-inducing pollen.
"Levels of pollen are higher, so that people that maybe had more mild symptoms are having more severe symptoms, because they're just getting a greater exposure," Corewell Health allergist Dr. Jackie Eastman said.
Dr. Eastman says she usually starts seeing patients with serious seasonal allergies at the end of April, but she's already busy at her office.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America also released a report of the top 20 most challenging places to live in with pollen allergies in 2023.While Michigan did not make the list, southern states are getting hit pretty hard.
“I think the the lack of the colder winters actually is a little harder on the southern states than it is here," Dr. Eastman said.
It's not just pollen giving people grief this year, mold drives allergies up as well. Different kinds of molds may release tiny spores throughout the year, but tend to peak in late summer and fall. Dr. Eastman says a good indicator to see if you're suffering from a pollen allergy or a mold allergy is rain.
“People with a pollen allergy will feel better when it rains, the rain will actually pull all of that pollen out of the air, the people with a mold allergy will feel worse, because obviously, everything gets wet," she said.
Dr. Eastman also says it's important to separate symptoms of allergies and something like a cold, the flu or COVID-19.
Allergies mostly deal with runny eyes and nose, sneezing and a scratchy throat. Infections like COVID-19 or the flu will have more severe symptoms like a fever or a cough. If over-the-counter medications aren't helping with allergies, it may be time to see an allergist or a primary care physician.
Other tricks to help with allergy symptoms include keeping your windows closed so pollen doesn't get in and nasal rinses.
You can track pollen levels here.
