NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Moving back home to Middle Tennessee has been a breath of fresh air except for Fall allergies which I didn't sign up for.
For those of us discovering that fate, I asked Dr. Cosby Stone, an allergy specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, about what's causing the seasonal suffering.
Unlike spring allergies from trees and grass, fall's culprit is weeds and mold from decaying leaves.
"So the ragweed might be pretty bad this year. I think that's actually pretty true already," Stone said. "I would say that we might have, if we get more rain, we might have more trouble with mold, for mold allergic patients."
Even pets can feel the effects of fall allergens.
"Itching and sneezing are gonna be more non-specific signs for your animals because you won't always be able to tell that their nose is stuffy," Stone said.
Stone said an allergist can prescribe shots, but over-the-counter steroid sprays, antihistamine eye drops, and products like Allegra and Zyrtec can help too.
"And I always remind people to aim it a little bit outward because if you just stick it straight in your nose and squirt it through your sinuses and down the back of your throat, well, the medicine didn't go where it was supposed to go," Stone said.
Stone said sinus rinses also help a lot.
It's just another sign it's fall.
Stone said living in Nashville could even make allergies worse because the city sits in a bowl.
Want to see Dr. Stone's full demonstration on the proper way to use nasal sprays? Watch Kim Rafferty's complete report and discover which over-the-counter treatments work best for Middle Tennessee's unique allergy challenges. Have questions about seasonal health topics you'd like us to investigate? Email Kim at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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