Sneezing or tearing up a lot lately? Allergies could be to blame. With pollen counts increasing, doctors are also seeing a spike in patients. Our John Garcia explains a simple way to tell whether you're suffering from a common cold, flu, or allergies.
SAN ANTONIO -- Sometimes it's difficult to tell -- is it a cold, flu or allergies? Well, San Antonio doctors are seeing a spike in allergy patients because allergy season got started much earlier than usual this year.
With a mild winter and current warm temperatures, pollen counts are soaring. Right now, heavy amounts of Oak are in the air.
The season normally runs between March through May, but this season is already well underway.
So, how can you tell whether you have allergies or the flu?
"Normally, the allergies don't bring on a fever. So, that's one of the main things. Some people get the body aches, but the fever is usually the main difference between the two," said Texan Allergy Physician Assistant Alyssa Arredondo.
"We're seeing a lot more allergies. It's being an unusual year so far. We've seen very little influenza. There's a little bit of flu floating around. But, from what I've seen, we haven't really had a significant outbreak," said Dr. David Gude with Texas MedClinic.
Blame the heavy amounts of Oak in the air for keeping doctors busy.
"The difference between last year and this year is that the climate was a lot milder in the winter. We had some rainfalls last month and this month. So, the pollen is coming higher and harder," said Arredondo.
"There's always a bump up around this year with Oak pollen, but seems a little bit worse from the patients that I'm seeing this year than the past few years," said Gude.
"Once I step outside, constant sneezing, tickling of the back of the throat. I know it's a sign of allergies," said allergy sufferer Veronica Alonzo.
Doctors recommend over the counter allergy medicine in most cases.
But for more severe symptoms, long-term treatments like allergy shots are available.
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