ST. LOUIS — It's as bad as it gets for spring allergy season. Tree pollen has St. Louisans' sniffling.
Dr. H. James Wedner is an Allergist at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital.
"We're in the peak of one of the allergy seasons right now," he said. "There are multiple allergy seasons in St. Louis ... there is one for trees, one for grass and one for weeds."
"Right now, the trees, which are the first pollinators in St. Louis, from a standpoint of an allergist are glorious," Dr. Wedner told 5 On Your Side. "Here in the Midwest the two biggest allergens are oak and maple, so this is the peak and it's the number one allergen."
To combat the prolific pollen, Dr. Wedner recommends, "Remember, the trees are outdoors, and you can go indoors, so we recommend that our patients spend as much time indoors as possible."
When the weather is so nice, it's hard not to go outside. Being smart about what time you go out can help.
"Trees tend to get rid of pollen very early in the morning," Dr. Wedner said. "They release their pollen in the morning and then it slowly decreases over the the day."
There is another option which doesn't depend on the time of day, but it is unpopular.
"I know this will be heresy," Dr. Wedner said. "Wear a mask. The standard mask we have all gotten used to because of the pandemic filters out a great deal of the pollen."
Speaking of filters, even if you aren't running the air conditioner, run your fan so pollens in your home get filtered out.
Dr. Wedner said when all else fails, allergy shots are a proven effective treatment, they just require several office visits.
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