WASHINGTON 鈥� As if allergy season isn’t already bad enough, it could get even sneezier and itchier around the D.C. area.聽
鈥淭his is not the worst year 鈥� yet,鈥� said聽Dr. Rachel Schreiber, an allergist and immunologist in Rockville. 鈥淭his is the thick of it. I, unfortunately, think that it has not peaked yet.”
Tree pollen counts are in the high range, she said, “but they will go into the very high range.”
(Indeed:, according to Storm Team4 Meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts.)
What to really beware of聽are rainy days followed by a warm day.
鈥淭he rain will help the trees grow, of course, and as the trees grow, they bloom,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I think if we get a nice rainy couple of days here, and then you have a warm day after that, the pollens will just go crazy.鈥�
If you think the pollens are already crazier than they were in years past, that might not necessarily be the case. Schreiber said allergy symptoms can worsen if you鈥檝e become sensitized to the area鈥檚 potential allergens.
鈥淎fter living here for a couple of years, in fact, your symptoms do worsen,” she said.
And when they do, it鈥檚 important to visit the doctor. Toughing it out on your own and self-medicating isn鈥檛 a great idea because over-the-counter allergy medications can carry risks. Besides, allergies 鈥渃an make you feel sick for a long period of time,鈥� and they can contribute to asthma.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e missing school, if you鈥檙e missing work, you need to see your doctor,鈥� Schreiber said.
Whether the doctor prescribes an allergy shot depends on how well other medications are working.
Shots, she said, 鈥渁re indicated for people who either can鈥檛 take meds, don鈥檛 want to take medication or the medication doesn鈥檛 work.
鈥淎llergy shots are really the way to get to the root of the problem with allergies. It鈥檚 a method of desensitization.鈥�
