By : Lauren Spencer
The beginning of spring brings the beginning of allergy season.
The top pollen producers in the area that could be responsible for seasonal allergies are trees, grasses, and weeds.
Dr. Steve Cashman, Otolaryngologist at ENT Allergy Center, said it’s specifically tree allergy season and this came as a result of a snowy winter.
“It’s been a robust tree pollen season because we had a lot of snow this year and that really primed the ground and gave those trees a lot of fuel to develop that pollen,” said Cashman.
With high numbers of freshmen coming to the university from other areas and states, they’ve seen an increase in their seasonal allergies when moving to Fayetteville.
Claire Brown, freshman at the University of Arkansas, is from Jonesborro, Arkansas and has experienced significantly worse seasonal allergies since moving to Fayetteville.
“Coming up here I get sick all the time. Once a month if not twice.” said Brown. “I’ve had inflamed lungs from being sick all the time and I haven’t had the chance to recoup”
Dr. Cashman said this is normal to be affected by new allergies when moving to a new climate. People who are allergic to certain types of trees may see a larger quantity when moving to the area which could contribute to allergy symptoms.
“When they come here and get the pollen counts we have here sometimes that can overwhelm them and push them to a state of more symptoms” Dr. Cashman said.
Dr. Cashman suggested taking over-the-counter medicines like Zyrtec and Allegra and nasal spray to treat seasonal allergies.