As the temperature starts to heat up, so can your allergies.
"I do think this spring seemed a little bit worse and that has progressed into summer," said Cindy Rose, a family nurse practitioner at the ENT and Allergy Center of Missouri. "I'm having a lot of people who suffer the last two or three weeks."
"The climate does have an impact on allergen producers. In the first weeks of summer the top pollen producer is trees, which cover a third of the state", said Michael Sunde, director of the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership.
“Tree pollen is really common, and oaks are one of the main contributors to that,” Sunde said.
Throughout the summer season, the top pollen producers shift based on the climate.
“As you move into late summer and early fall, that's when you get ragweed, which is a big one," Sunde said. "Weeds are kind of the most common, so common sources of pollen that cause people problems with allergies."
Climatologists have seen the growing seasons get longer over the years. This means that rising temperatures delay autumn frosts, leading to earlier and prolonged pollen release.
“The people that monitor this closely have seen the growing seasons get a little bit longer, and then, you know, there's measurably more CO₂ in the atmosphere, and that helps plants grow,” Sunde said.
Department of Agriculture greenhouse experiments show that doubling carbon dioxide can increase ragweed pollen output by 61-400%, depending on conditions.
If you've ever wondered why you're having bad allergies, it could be because you've been overexposed to certain parts of the environment, Rose said.
To treat your allergies, the Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy Center recommends you start with over-the-counter antihistamines and nasal steroids.
If these do not work, then it is possible to seek medical help.
"If you are taking all of the precautions like shutting you're windows and doors, you're taking a shower after you've been outside," Rose said along with taking the OTC medicines, "then that's really a great time to come visit us so we can do some testing, see what is is you are allergic too and then think about immunotherapy."
There is a break during allergy season.
"We have a couple weeks the end of July till middle of August when things are really hot so there's not a lot going on, but then mid-August is when we see the ragweed," Rose said.
But for now, it looks like allergies are here to stay.
