El Paso now ranked 13th for worst spring allergies

 The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently released their 2018 of most challenging places to live with spring allergies. The list ranks the 100 most populous cities in the United States and El Paso is 13th this year, 32 spots higher than last year.

Crystal Fuller, a nurse practitioner at Texan Allergy and Sinus center, says that the reason why spring allergies are worse this year is the warm winter. She also says it one of the worst years she has seen in a while.

Here are some tips from the Texan Allergy and Sinus Center on dealing with seasonal allergies:

Take your antihistamine before you head outdoors to try and avoid the misery. Pollen counts are the highest between 5am and 10am so limit your time outdoors during these hours. Wash your face and hands after you’ve been outside to remove pollen. Also, wash or change clothes after you’ve been outdoors. Bathe and shampoo your hair before you hit the sack to remove pollen from hair and skin. DON’T SLEEP WITH POLLEN! Keep it off your bedding. Wear sunglasses. Those shades will protect your eyes from pollen when counts are this high.

If you are still suffering after taking these step, there’s more you can do.

“A lot of people have the misconception that there’s not really much you can do other than take medicine. But, if you’re doing all that you can and you’re still suffering, there’s you know, definitely the ability for patients to get tested and start on immunotherapy and that’s a more permanent solution for allergy symptoms to get rid of them,” says Fuller.