Uncontrollable sneezing, blood shot eyes and headaches welcome to the Houston’s peak season of Oak Pollen season—which is March and April. And our gusty conditions aren’t helping things. In fact, it’s making it worse. But why?
Oak Pollen and Wind:
Oak pollen is light weight so on gusty days like today—the wind can carry pollen miles away from areas like Memorial Park all the way to urban areas that don’t even have oak trees. Today we have a wind advisory until 10 mph with south winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. This can push the pollen count into the extreme range—making pollen allergies symptoms like blood shot eyes, coughing, sneezing unbearable.
The Weather and Your Health:
The last ten days in Houston have been warm, dry and windy—the perfect recipe for an “Oak Pollen Apocalypse” in Houston.
So, I asked Dr. Michael Kaplan, a Board-Certified medical doctor and sinus specialist if more people have been coming in because of the windy weather during the peak of Oak Pollen season. Oak pollen is back and so are spring allergies!
“Just in the last 10 days, I’ve seen a hug uptick in patients presenting with runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and sinus pressure, itchy eyes, sore throat and fatigue,” Dr. Kaplan explained.
When is it the worst?
If you’re sensitive to Oak Pollen, it’s never easy, however peak times make it even more challenging.
Morning: Pollen is the highest
Dry & Windy Days: Pollen spreads more
What should you do:
We should you do if you are suffering from the allegories, especially this week! Dr. Kaplan has some easy tips to help ease your symptoms during this week’s allergy apocalypse. AKA—a very windy weather week in Houston during peak Oak pollen season.
1. Nasal saline rinse: Helps remove pollen and irritants by flushing the pollen, reduces inflammation, thins mucus and helps with breathing.
2. Over the counter medications: Antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops. Antihistamines block histamine to help with symptoms like sneezing, itching and runny nose while nasal sprays help with inflammation and eye drops help with allergic reactions in the eyes.
3. Hepa Air Purifier to clear unwanted pollen from the home - HEPA filters out at least 99.7% airborne particles like dust, pollen and bacteria to help with indoor air quality.
4. Showering and changing clothes after prolonged time outside- Pollen stick to everything and showering helps remove the pollen or keep it from spreading around the house.
5. Try to move outdoor exercise to the late afternoon when the pollen counts are lower: Pollen is the highest in the morning and on windy days.
6. Keep car and home windows closed: This helps reduce outside allergens, dust and pollutants.
Track before you go: Before you leave, you can always check the local allergy report to make sure you and your family are prepared for Oak Pollen Apocalypse in Houston- extremely windy days in Houston.
