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ATLANTA — For the countless Americans who suffer from allergies, the arrival of allergy season signals a time of discomfort. As trees, grasses, and other plants release pollen, many endure symptoms like runny noses, itchy eyes, and persistent sneezing and coughing.
The severity of these symptoms often depends on several factors, including geographic location, specific allergens, and individual lifestyle. In recent years, experts have noted that climate change is exacerbating the situation, leading to longer and more intense allergy seasons. However, on a positive note, advancements in allergy treatments over the past decade have provided sufferers with more effective ways to manage their symptoms.
To help alleviate these seasonal woes, experts suggest a few strategies that might allow allergy sufferers to enjoy the great outdoors without discomfort.
New cities top the list of ‘allergy capitals’
Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America releases a list ranking the toughest cities for allergy sufferers. This ranking considers factors such as the usage of over-the-counter allergy medications, pollen levels, and the availability of allergy specialists in various areas.
For 2023, the cities that topped this challenging list are Boise, Idaho; San Diego; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Provo, Utah; and Rochester, New York.
Pollen helps plants reproduce – and makes us miserable
Pollen is the powdery substance made by seed-producing plants and trees that is part of their reproductive process. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall.
Some of the most common tree pollens that cause allergies include birch, cedar, cottonwood, maple, elm, oak and walnut, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Grasses that cause symptoms include Bermuda, Johnson, rye and Kentucky bluegrass.
Here’s how to track pollen levels
Pollen trackers can help you decide when to go outside. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email.
The first step is to try to avoid pollen altogether
The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. Keep the windows in your car and your home closed, even when it’s nice outside.
If you go outside, wearing long sleeves can keep pollen off your skin to help ward off allergic reactions, said Dr. James Baker, an allergist at the University of Michigan. It also provides some sun protection, he added.
When you get home, change your clothes and shower daily to ensure all the pollen is off of you – including your hair. If you can’t wash your hair every day, try covering it when you go outside with a hat or scarf. Don’t get in the bed with your outside clothes on, because the pollen will follow.
It’s also useful to rinse your eyes and nose with saline to remove any pollen, experts said. And the same masks that got us through the pandemic can protect you from allergies – though they won’t help with eye symptoms.
How to relieve allergy symptoms
Over-the-counter nasal sprays are among the most effective treatments for seasonal allergies, experts said.
But patients often use them incorrectly, irritating parts of the nose, said Dr. Kathleen May, an allergist at Augusta University in Georgia. She suggested angling the nozzle outward toward your ear rather than sticking it straight up your nose.
Over-the-counter allergy pills like Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec are helpful, but may not be as effective as quickly since they’re taken by mouth, experts said.
If your allergy symptoms are impacting your quality of life, like causing you to lose sleep or loose focus at work or school, it might be time to consider making an appointment with an allergist. There are medications that can train you immune system not to overreact to allergens.
Some remedies for allergy relief that have been circulating on social media or suggested by celebrities – like incorporating local honey into your diet to expose yourself to pollen – have been debunked.
Dr. Shyam Joshi, an allergist at Oregon Health and Science University, said that’s because the flowers that bees pollinate typically don’t contain the airborne pollen that causes allergy symptoms.
Is allergy season changing?
Winters are milder and growing seasons are longer as the climate is changing, meaning there’s more opportunity for pollen to stay in the air, resulting in longer and more severe allergy seasons.
Last year was one of the most intense allergy seasons on record, particularly in the Southeast U.S.
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A version of this story was published April 19, 2025. The writer is no longer with The Associated Press.
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