Spring Allergies in California

Although spring allergies are mild in most of California, when allergy season begins, it comes on fast, according to allergists familiar with the area.

“When the tree season comes on, patients go from feeling normal to just being miserable,” said Dr. Don McNeil, who specializes in allergy and immunology.

The spring allergy season is short—just six to eight weeks—but it can make allergy sufferers highly uncomfortable.

The tree pollen that causes related spring allergies can only arise from trees that pollinate: deciduous trees. These are the oaks, hickories, sycamores, cottonwoods, birches and other hardwoods that are more prevalent in the northern and eastern United States.

The evergreens prevalent in California do not produce pollen, but the habitats that support them tend to breed a lot of something else—mold.

McNeil says the moist, warm weather that marks spring encourages mold growth. For those sensitive to mold and tree pollen, that means twice the sniffling, sneezing and wheezing, because mold spores are on the rise at the same time as tree pollen.

It sounds like enough to make a person relocate, but McNeil said moving to another region rarely brings longterm relief.

“If you are prone to having allergies, you may move to a new area and be free of your symptoms initially,” he said. “After a year or two, you become sensitized to the allergens in the new place.”

Pollen rises in the early morning, so McNeil advises patients to keep their windows closed overnight.

“Some patients benefit from bathing before bed to remove any pollen that may have attached to their skin or hair during the day,” McNeil said.

McNeil says it is important for people suffering from allergies to find a local allergist who is board certified in allergy and immunology.

“Avoid people who are practicing allergy but don’t specialize in it,” said McNeil. Some practitioners profit from placing patients on a repeating regimen of allergy shots, he said.

While shots are often effective for safely building up a tolerance to allergens, patients should be evaluated regularly and moved to a maintenance program when the effective dose has been reached, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

To treat your allergies, speak to a pharmacist one of the following local pharmacies:

Fountain Valley Central Pharmacy 11055 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley

Mission Pharmacy 16569 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley

CVS Pharmacy 17136 Magnolia St., Fountain Valley

Find more pharmacies in Fountain Valley here.