Spring has sprung across New York and with the warmer weather comes seasonal allergies. Some health care professionals want to remind people there are treatment options.
For Dr. William Reisacher professor of otolaryngology and director of allergy services at Weill Cornell Medicine, seasonal allergies are not something to ignore.
“People, when they think about allergies, say ‘Oh, it’s just allergies,’ and nothing could be further from the truth,” Reisacher said. “It has a major impact on the quality of people’s lives. And many people, because they think they don’t want to bother their doctor with something so trivial as allergies, that they don’t bring it up and therefore they don’t get the treatment that they really need or realize that there are things that you can do to help improve your allergy symptoms.”
He said treatment options are out there, and starting early is best.
“My other advice for people is to start certain medications ahead of the season, for example the nasal steroid sprays which are now available over the counter, they should be started a couple of weeks before you anticipate your symptoms might begin,” Reisacher said.
Reisacehr anticipates May will be the peak for some seasonal allergy symptoms.
In recent years, Reisacher said he has seen an uptick in seasonal allergy symptoms, and it’s not an issue unique to the Northeast.
“Scientists and clinicians all around the world are seeing this as well, that allergies seem to be becoming more of a problem with every year,” Reisacher said.
He said there are a few different things that may be to blame – including a changing climate.
“Possibly that has something to do with increasing pollen levels we’re seeing in the U.S., much lower levels of snow every year, we are seeing the pollinating season extend in length,” Reisacher said.
For someone with seasonal allergies, Reisacher said it’s always better to seek treatment.
“Don’t suffer alone,” Reisacher said.
