High pollen counts continue to plague residents of West Texas with sniffles and sneezes, along with itchy, watery eyes and sore throats.
Fall is here, and for many, that means it's time to stock up on the allergy medicine.
Big pollen producers like Ragweed and Mountain Cedar plants are found all over our area and are the likely culprits behind the recent allergy woes.
Dr. Maggie Shringer with the Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Abilene believes that this year is especially bad because of the recent rain.
This gave the offending plants the chance to grow and pollinate.
Typically, Ragweed will begin pollinating in mid-August and continue through mid-November. Unfortunately, the Mountain Cedar pollination time either overlaps or closely follows that pollination season.
This means, for folks that are allergic to both plants, symptoms can continue for months.
Dr. Shringer's advice? Consult your physician to find out which over the counter anti-histamine is best for you.
If this fails, considering seeing a specialist. They will likely be able to administer allergy injections following an initial test to determine what the allergy actually is. These shots can help build a tolerance to that allergy.