[Jacksonville.com]
In a Monday, April 5, 2010 photo, Shane Nantz kicks up a cloud of pollen as he mows the front yard of his west Charlotte, N.C., home. (AP Photo/The Charlotte Observer, Todd Sumlin)
Yes, there are ways to avoid this year’s possibly-worse-than-ever allergy season and its wrath of sneezing, wheezing, red and watery eyes, fatigue, congestion, headaches and skin irritation.
Stay indoors.
Or move to the desert.
That’s the tongue-in-cheek word from physician Mark Smith, medical director of Doctors Express, an urgent-care clinic on Jacksonville’s Southside.
The trigger of seasonal allergies is nature — rain, wind and their collective impact on pollen, which is produced by flowering plants — so allergy sufferers are hard pressed to avoid them. And since Northeast Florida has had more than its usual share of rain, wind and pollen this year, doctors like Smith have seen more than their usual share of patients seeking relief since spring arrived.
“This season is worse. It’s due to the weather,” he said.