Spring Brings Warm Weather, Blooming Trees … And Allergies!

Spring is the perfect time for allergies to rear their ugly head in children and that’s why parents shouldn’t take them lightly.

Dr. Lyndon Mansfield, an allergy specialist in El Paso, is trying to give kids a hand in the fight against allergies. “If you have a kid who snores, you have a kid who has itchy red eyes all the time and sneezing in school – you start thinking about that and then you realize that the kid can’t go to school and be successful,” he said.

The doctor says the peak allergy seasons are clearly the spring and fall. “The spring because of the high degree of tree pollens we have — particularly mulberry, pecan, and a lot of other trees — and the fall because of Bermuda grass and tumbleweed and some ragweed,” he adds.

In addition, the doctor says Johnson grass — a big, thick grass found around farms — is particularly unique to this area.

And as if kids have enough things to worry about, Dr. Mansfield says allergies and asthma are connected. “Allergy is a terrific driving force for asthma in children especially,” he said, “About 95% of children with asthma at this age start to become allergic.”

So if your kid is sniffling and sneezing, the best thing you can do is call the doctor.