Early Allergy Season

Allergy season is here and the experts say it could be a long one. Researchers claim that higher temperatures from climate change are having an impact on tree pollination. Trees may pollinate earlier and produce more pollen. Dr. Gillian Shepard of the Asthma Allergy Foundation gives details. “Estimates go up to a quarter of the population having some sensitivity to allergies and a large percent of those will be to tree pollen in the springtime.” People with allergies may feel like they are getting worse but they are just lasting longer, says Dr. Shepard. “People may feel like their allergies are getting worse, but although their symptoms have not changed the duration of how long we are dealing with them has increased.” Global warming is being blamed for an increase in the pollen count, adds Dr. Shepard. “Counts this year are pretty similar to what they were last year, they are still higher now and earlier than they have been traditionally and probably global warming is playing a role.” There is some good news for allergy sufferers, concludes Dr. Shepard.  “The good news is that if it starts early, generally each tree pollinates for maybe three to four weeks, so it doesn’t necessarily mean a longer season, it just means earlier and then likewise over earlier.” The Asthma Allergy Foundation released the report on the upcoming allergy season.