Allergy season in South Mississippi

If you’ve walked outside recently, you’ve probably seen signs that the spring season is upon us. With it comes a new allergy season in South Mississippi and that can mean misery for allergy sufferers.
But don’t despair, as News 25’s Toni Miles shows us, doctors say you don’t have to give up and suffer through it.
Spring is in the air and before long, beautiful flowers, green grass, and budding trees will surround us, but with this beauty comes a price. Dr. Michael Seicshnaydre’s office has been busy this past week with the onset of the first round of allergy season, marked by tree pollen. “We typically see the pine pollen which is the biggest, most dense pollen, which is what you see in the puddles, on the hood of your car, but pine pollen and along with all the other pollens are just starting to hit. It’s the first of the many pollens that occur throughout the entire season,”
Over the counter medicines such as anti-histamines, nasal sprays, and saline rinses can help ease symptoms of runny nose, repetitive sneezing, swollen eyes, and headaches, but for those with serious allergies, there are allergy tests and shots. “They actually undergo testing, both for the common things you inhale, but also for foods. Those patients, once they get on shots and they’ve been on them for a while, they love the improvement and they can feel the difference day in and day out,” said Dr. Seicshnaydre.
Windy days make for ripe conditions for the further spread of pollen and other allergies, but doctors say there are things you can do to cut back on your contact with these irritants. “You need to do some cleaning. There are certain pillow cases that you can use to decrease that exposure. You know, a person who is very allergic who goes out to mow their yard, or the weekend warrior who goes out on Saturday and Sunday and does all the weed eating and everything, a lot of times they’re going to wake up with a lot of symptoms on Monday morning,” said Dr. Seicshnaydre.
The sooner you take steps to battle allergies, the less severe your symptoms will likely be and get ready for the ride because allergy season is expected to stick around for a while.