Video: Allergist at Mass General says we have long way to go in Massachusetts’ pollen season
Updated: 12:52 PM EDT Jun 11, 2022
PITCH IS AT 10:10. RHONDELLA: 5 ON YOUR HEALTH THIS POLLEN CLOUD MOVING THRGHOU MASSACHUSETTS LAST MONTH IS THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES FOR LOCAL ALLERGY SUFFERS.ER HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IS DR. CAROLINE SOKOL, AN ALLERGIST AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL. THAT YELLOW DUST WAS EVERYWHERE UNTIL THE HEAVY RAIN ON THURAYSD WASHED A LOT OF IT AWAY. DOES WEATHER ALWAYS HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON SEASONAL ALLERGI? >> IT REALLY DOES. FIRST OFF YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHEN THE POLLEN STARTS UP, WARMER SPRINGS WILL CAUSE LONGER POLLEN SEASONS. WHEN IT COMES TO THE ACTUAL SPRING WEATHER THAT WE HAVELL A BEEN DEALING WITH. THAT DRY AIR KEEPS THE POLLEN UP IN THE AIR BLOWING AROUND AND WE REALLY DEPENDN OTHESE RAIN STORMS TO BRING IT DOWN AND GET IT OUT OF THE AIR. RHONDELLA: AS YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ALLERGENS FLOATING IN THE AIR AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR. TREE POLLEN IS DECLINING NOW. WHAT’S GOING TO REPLACE IT? >> WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN A LOOFT GRASS POLLEN COME UP, WHEN THOSE POLLEN CLOUDS ARE CONGMI AROUND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SUFFERING WITH GRASS POLLEN. WE WILL SEE IT CONTINUE WITH US UNTIL JULY AND THEN THERE WILL NOT BE MUCH OF A BREAK BEFORE ALL OF THE WE POLLEN STARTS UP. RAGWEED STARTS IN AUGUST, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. JEN: MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHICH TREE OR GRASORS WEED IS TRIGGERING THEIR SYMPTOMS. IS IT IMPORTANT TO FIND OUT? >> IT CAN BE IMPORTANT. IF YOUR ALLERGIES ARE SETOMHING THAT YOU CAN DEAL WITH WITH OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS, USUALLY YOU CAN GET BY WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE REAL CULPTRI IS. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN IT BECOMES SOMETHING THAT LAST LONGERND A WHEN THE SYMOMPTS ARE SO SEVERE THAT YOU HAVE TROUBLE DEALING WITH TMHE WITH THE OVER-THE-COUNTER SYMPTOMS. IT BECOMES HELULPF KNOWING WHAT IT IS BECAUSE AN ALLERGIST CAN PROVEID YOU INFORMATION ON HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. THEN YOU CAN AOLS BE PROVIDED WITH ALLERGY SHOTS. RHONDELLA: THERE ARE A LOT OF ALLERGY MEDICINES AVAILABLE EROV THE COUNTER. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE ABOUT CHOOSING ONE, AND USING ?IT >> THE BIGGESTMP IORTANT THING IS CHOOSING SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN TAKE REGULARLY SO YOU CAN STARTED EARLY, PREFERABLY BEFORE YOUR POLLEN SEASON STARTS UP AND CONTINUE IT THROUGH. THE MNAI GO TO ARE THE ORAL ANTIHISTINAMES, PREFERABLY THE LONG LASTING, ANTI-DROWSY ONES. THE MOST IMPORTANT ADD-ONS ARE THE NASAL STEROIDS. THINGS LIKE FLONASE AND OTHER NASAL SPRAYS THAT CAN WORK TOGETHER WITH ANTISIHTAMINES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. JEN: DR. CAROLINE SOKOL, AN ALLERGIST AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL, THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. RHONDE
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Video: Allergist at Mass General says we have long way to go in Massachusetts’ pollen season
Updated: 12:52 PM EDT Jun 11, 2022
Tree pollen is now on the decline, but other allergens will be in the air throughout the summer.
Tree pollen is now on the decline, but other allergens will be in the air throughout the summer.
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