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San Antonio's beautiful live oak trees have started their annual airborne assault on our eyes, ears, noses, and throats.
The lime green tree pollen can cause all mucus membranes to run uncontrollably from March through April if we are lucky, but the symptom can extend into early May in the worst-case scenario.
Dr. John Freiler of Premiere Allergy of Texas in Alamo Ranch said the pollen can come down in such heavy concentrations it can cause allergy-like symptoms even in those without an oak allergy.
The pollen can aggravate existing breathing problems too, like asthma.
He said the first step is to check the daily pollen count in San Antonio to see if it's high or just look at your vehicle at the curb or driveway.
"And when it's covered with a bunch of green-yellow dust and your nose starts to itch, well that's a pretty good indication you're in peak oak season," he said.
He said reduce time outdoors on days the pollen count is high, especially on sunny and windy days, when there is plenty of live oak circulating in the air.
Freiler also said "water is your friend" in the battle against live oak allergies and can wash away the pesky pollen.
"When you come in from the outdoors, go to the sink, splash some cold water on your face," he said. "And jump in the shower and rinse it off." He also recommends rinsing the nose with saline to flush out the pollen.
He added that changing clothes after an extended period outdoors is also important because the pollen can stick to it.
Freiler said changing out a home's central heat and air conditioning HEPA filter as recommended is important too, so it can keep pollen out of your house.
And if you use a plug-in allergy filter unit, he said it's better to go big.
"The unit can be rated a little bit larger, that's fine. "But if you use too small of a unit, you're not going to effectively filter the air in your home."
Freiler said if home water remedies and air filtering doesn't work, try over-the-counter remedies, such as nasal steroids or eye drops.
And if those aren't working, it may be time to see an allergist, especially if severe allergies linger or interfere with your day-to-day life.
He said an allergist may recommend allergy immunotherapy for long term relief.
And on another bright note, after all that allergy suffering, all those leafy oak trees will cast shade to keep the Alamo City cooler this summer.
