LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Arkansas typically has the cards stacked against it when it comes to allergies. The pollen season tends to start in the winter months at the beginning of February.
This year, the mild and wet winter we've seen the past couple months is expected bring a higher pollen count that could stick around longer.
"Whenever it's damp, the mold spores go up, and so people that are allergic to mold have a lot of symptoms," Dr. Melissa Graham with Advanced Allergy and Asthma said. "Also, the temperatures didn't get very low, so we are going to have a heavy pollen season for the tree pollen."
Dr. Graham said this pollen season isn't starting any earlier than usual, which seems like a good thing, but the later the season starts, the more pollen there will be. And that could mean greater suffering.
"A lot of times, when allergy season starts later, that could be even worse because the tree pollen is really high usually and the grass pollen joins it," said Dr. Graham.
You can treat allergies with medications and nasal sprays, but Dr. Graham said there is a cure to make the symptoms go away.
"If you take a series of injections for three to five years, it can change your immune system to where you're not allergic anymore," she said.
Dr. Graham said the tree pollen usually comes first in the spring. Then, the grass pollen will bloom and that could last throughout the summer. Ragweed pollen can stick around into the fall months.