NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Fall was still a week away, but allergy sufferers were already feeling the discomfort of ragweed and mold.
Counts for both were high in the last few days, and they were only expected to get higher.
Doctor Megan Stauffer, Board Certified Allergist at the Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center in Mount Juliet, said the best line of defense was medication, and patients need to start taking it early.
"Make sure you're on all your medicine in preparation for this season because if you're feeling symptoms now they're gonna be even worse in the next couple of weeks," according to Dr. Stauffer.
In addition to the medication, she also recommended taking allergy shots," said Stauffer. "Most people start to see benefits within a few months of starting the shots and over a 3 to 5 years period symptoms get significantly better. In the end we actually stop allergy shots and the permanent change that happened during allergy shots continue after you stop allergy shots."
One of Dr. Stauffer's patients was already doing allergy shots three times a week and said he could already tell a difference.
"It helps a lot with my nose, it's not as bad and my eyes have been a lot better," said Sam Delashaw, who also took over the counter medicine to help with his allergy symptoms.
