It's been said that Lexington and Central Kentucky are not good places to be if you suffer from seasonal allergies, and many of us are indeed dealing with runny noses and watery eyes these days.
Walk down any street in town and you'll see plenty of nose blowing going on, but is it true that Lexington is worse than most other places when it come to allergies.
Dr. Beth Miller should know. She's an immunologist who deals with the problem regularly, and she says, "Yes, it is true. We have the greatest environment for pollen. This week has been a little unusual because we have had a flaring of asthma. People that have asthma that are also allergic to ragweed have come in so it is hitting us pretty hard compared to last year."
UK student Elizabeth Navarra told 127 NEWSFIRST, "I take a Claritin every day and drink a lot of water. That's pretty much the way I control my allergies, but yesterday I forgot to take my allergy pill and now I'm feeling like yuk." At that point, she stuck out her tongue and made a face.
Now if you happen to live next to a vacant lot overgrown with ragweed and thistle, don't curse your fate. The allergens will find you no matter where you are. In fact, Dr. Miller says they can be blown hundreds of miles.
A good soaking rain can cleanse the environment, but according to the good doctor, too much rain can cause problems. "Mold counts may be higher when it rains a lot, and many people suffer from pollen and mold.
People with mold allergies often complain of more stuffy, head achy sinus type symptoms."
Allergy sufferer Jessica Tyler blew her nose before telling us, "I'm very stuffy, and I even lost my voice and still haven't completely got it back. I use nose spray and stuff like that, but nothing seems to be working."
In a roundabout way, the cooler weather this Summer has been bad for people with allergies. Dr. Miller says, "I always tell my patients to leave their air conditioner on even if its nice outside. The biggest mistake you can make is to open up your windows to air out your home because you're allowing the pollens and the molds to blow in"
